# Presentation: 469287

## Where on Earth...?MISR Mystery Image 

**Quiz #7**
**4 July 2001**

**Notes:**
Here's another chance to play geographical detective! This Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) image covers an area of about 317 kilometers x 412 kilometers, and was captured by the instrument's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera on July 4, 2001. Use any reference materials you like and answer the following three questions:
1. Near the left-hand edge, above image center, are two light-blue lakes separated by a narrow strip of land. Three of the following four statements about them are true. Which one is false?
A. The lakes are in a depression formed by tectonic and volcanic activity. BSeveral rare and endangered bird species breed here.  C. The dominant species of fish is the weatherfish, Misgurnus fossilis. D. Water levels can vary considerably, causing changes to the size of exposed islands.
2. To the right of image center is a large lake. About 30 kilometers northwest of the northern tip of this lake is a border city, which from 1913 to 1949 had a different name than the one it goes by today. Three of the following four statements about the city are true. Which one is false? A. Coal mining and food processing are important to the local economy. B. Transshipment facilities for handling crude oil are planned, but have not yet been constructed.
C. Mammoth fossils have been discovered here. D. Railway passengers can cross the border into this city on the #20 train.
3. In the lower right-hand quadrant of the image is a blue-green lake partially obscured by some cumulus clouds. This lake is part of a nation whose capital city contains a landmark square named for a national hero. A statue in the square portrays this individual (choose one):
A. At the helm of a ship B. Seated on a throne C. Standing in the company of another person D. On horseback
Answers (added to caption April 10, 2002):
This region of central Asia is situated at the juncture of Mongolia, China and Russia. The large lakes apparent in the image form geographic reference points and fall on or near political boundaries. The light-blue lakes in the upper left are Russia's Torey Lakes (also spelled Torei or Tooroi Lakes), situated near the border with Mongolia. The Torey Lakes form an important  part of the Mongol-Manzurian steppe and wetland ecosystems, and are known as breeding, feeding and staging areas for millions of migratory waterfowl, including six species of rare cranes, the Relic gull and the Great Bustard. The dominant fish in the lakes is the Crucian Carp (Carassius auratus), although the weatherfish (Misgurnus fossilis) is also present. The lakes are situated in a basin formed by tectonic and volcanic activities associated with the Central Asian rift system, and the water level of these saline lakes shows dramatic variation. Islands are exposed when water levels are low, and the lakes have been known to retreat entirely. 
The largest lake in the image area is Hulun Nur (or Hulun Hu), part of China's Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. A linear feature visible between Torey Lakes and Hulun Nur closely follows part of the boundary between Mongolia and China. The Russian / Chinese border in this area is situated north of Hulun Nur, near the city of Manzhouli (or Manchouli), sometimes called a "Gate to China". Manzhouli was known as Lubin from 1913 until 1949. The city developed after the construction of the trans-Manchurian train, and until recent years was the main center for trade between Russia and China. Trains between Moscow and Beijing stop at Manzhouli (train numbers 19 and 20). China imports and transships crude oil via the city, and facilities for transshipment of oil were expanded in 2000. Important industries include coal mining and the production of food and wool. The region is also of archaeological interest; a large mammoth skeleton excavated from one of the coal mines near Manzhouli is on display at the Inner Mongolia Museum in Huhhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
The lake in the lower right of the image area is called Buyr Nuur (or Buir Nur), and is part of eastern Mongolia. Mongolia's capital city is Ulaanbaatar (outside the area covered by this image). Ulaanbaatar's main square is named for Damdiny Sukhbataar, the hero of Mongolian independence from China. The centerpiece of Sukhbataar Square is a statue depicting   Sukhbataar on horseback.

## Unique Views of a Shattered Ice Shelf

**7 March 2002**

**Notes:**
Both single and multi-angle views of the breakup of the northern section of the Larsen B ice shelf are shown in this image pair from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer. The Larsen B ice shelf collapsed and broke away from the Antarctic Peninsula during February and March, 2002 -- a progression observed by Terra's Moderate-resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS) and analyzed at the University of Colorado's National Snow and Ice Data Center. The collapse is thought to have been accelerated by warm summer temperatures which caused meltwater to fill crevasses along the landward side of the Larsen shelf, leading to intensified pressures within the sheet structure. 
In the left-hand view, spectral variations across the scene are highlighted by using near-infrared, red and blue data from MISR's nadir (vertical-viewing) camera. Here, the ice within the disintegrating ice shelf appears vibrant blue. Water has an intrinsic blue color due to the selective absorption of longer wavelengths such as red and infrared, and the translucent properties of ice within the collapsing shelf enables this absorption to be observed. The use of the near-infrared band within this false-color composite accentuates the effect. Light brownish streaks across the splintering sheet can also be discerned, and probably indicate regions where rocks and morainal debris were exposed from the interior of the shelf.
On the right, data from three different view angles and only one color channel were combined to create a multi-angle composite. This image displays red-band data from MISR's 46-degree forward, nadir, and 46-degree backward-viewing cameras as red, green and blue, respectively. Here, the disintegrating ice shelf and the rough crevasses of glaciers appear orange. In contrast to the spectral composite, which provides information on the chemical composition of water ice, the colors in the right-hand image represent properties related to its physical nature. Because vertical protrusions or depressions within textured surfaces appear brighter on their illuminated faces, the orange color in the multi-angle composite suggests a macroscopically rough ice surface. Low clouds in the multi-angle view appear purple due to their ability to both forward scatter and backward scatter sunlight. Higher clouds and mountainous terrain are subject to geometric parallax which splits the imagery into spatially separated components, and their unusual appearance is an artifact of this effect.
These views were acquired on March 7, 2002, during Terra orbit 11798. Each image represents an area of approximately 149 kilometers x 186 kilometers. 

## Southern Florida’s River of Grass

**16 January 2002**

**Notes:**
Florida's Everglades is a region of broad, slow-moving sheets of water flowing southward over low-lying areas from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico. In places this remarkable 'river of grass' is 80 kilometers wide. These images from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer show the Everglades region on January 16, 2002. Each image covers an area measuring 191 kilometers x 205 kilometers. The data were captured during Terra orbit 11072. 
On the left is a natural color view acquired by MISR's nadir camera. A portion of Lake Okeechobee is visible at the top, to the right of image center. South of the lake, whose name derives from the Seminole word for 'big water', an extensive region of farmland known as the Everglades Agricultural Area is recognizable by its many clustered squares. Over half of the sugar produced in United States is grown here. Urban areas along the east coast and in the northern part of the image extend to the boundaries of Big Cypress Swamp, situated north of Everglades National Park. 
The image on the right combines red-band data from the 46-degree backward, nadir and 46-degree forward-viewing camera angles to create a red, green, blue false-color composite. One of the interesting uses of the composite image is for detecting surface water. Wet surfaces appear blue in this rendition because sun glitter produces a greater signal at the forward camera's view angle. Wetlands visible in these images include a series of shallow impoundments called Water Conservation Areas which were built to speed water flow through the Everglades in times of drought. In parts of the Everglades, these levees and extensive systems such as the Miami and Tamiami Canals have altered the natural cycles of water flow. For example, the water volume of the Shark River Slough, a natural wetland which feeds Everglades National Park, is influenced by the Tamiami Canal. The unique and intrinsic value of the Everglades is now widely recognized, and efforts to restore the natural water cycles are underway. 

## Closed Small Cell Clouds in the South Pacific

**19 November 2001**

**Notes:**
The structure of tightly packed "closed cells" in a layer of marine stratocumulus over the southeastern Pacific Ocean are highlighted in these views from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer. Closed cell clouds are formed under conditions of widespread sinking of the air above. As heat is radiated to the atmosphere, the top of the cloud cools. The cool air sinks along the cell boundaries and this sinking motion perturbs the shallow cloud layer into interesting structures such as those shown here. These cells are notably small, with diameters ranging from 10-15 kilometers, instead of the 15-45 kilometers typically noted in satellite observations. The dark areas along the cell boundaries are also cloudy and do not indicate clear sky. Closed cell clouds are found in high pressure systems characterized by weak winds, and are thought to occur preferentially over cold ocean waters. The image covers an area of about 280 kilometers x 227 kilometers. 
An overview image showing some of the meteorological context, and a natural-color and inverted image pair are also provided. The cell structure and the distinctive radial patterns indicative of the sinking air motions are easier to see clearly in the inverted view. The area covered by the overview on the left is 274 kilometers x 463 kilometers, while the right-hand images each cover 278 kilometers x 62 kilometers. All of the images were created with data from MISR's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera, and were acquired on November 19, 2001 (during Terra orbit 10228). The scenes are centered roughly at 38 degrees south latitude and 118 degrees west longitude.
Low-lying marine stratocumulus clouds are important components in the Earth's energy budget because they are bright and abundant, and reflect a large amount of solar energy toward space. They are difficult to represent in climate models however, due to their variable structure and rapid changes in reflectivity over short distances. 

## Closed Small Cell Clouds in the 

**South Pacific**
**19 November 2001**
**overview image**

**Notes:**
The structure of tightly packed "closed cells" in a layer of marine stratocumulus over the southeastern Pacific Ocean are highlighted in these views from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer. Closed cell clouds are formed under conditions of widespread sinking of the air above. As heat is radiated to the atmosphere, the top of the cloud cools. The cool air sinks along the cell boundaries and this sinking motion perturbs the shallow cloud layer into interesting structures such as those shown here. These cells are notably small, with diameters ranging from 10-15 kilometers, instead of the 15-45 kilometers typically noted in satellite observations. The dark areas along the cell boundaries are also cloudy and do not indicate clear sky. Closed cell clouds are found in high pressure systems characterized by weak winds, and are thought to occur preferentially over cold ocean waters. The image covers an area of about 280 kilometers x 227 kilometers. 
An overview image showing some of the meteorological context, and a natural-color and inverted image pair are also provided. The cell structure and the distinctive radial patterns indicative of the sinking air motions are easier to see clearly in the inverted view. The area covered by the overview on the left is 274 kilometers x 463 kilometers, while the right-hand images each cover 278 kilometers x 62 kilometers. All of the images were created with data from MISR's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera, and were acquired on November 19, 2001 (during Terra orbit 10228). The scenes are centered roughly at 38 degrees south latitude and 118 degrees west longitude.
Low-lying marine stratocumulus clouds are important components in the Earth's energy budget because they are bright and abundant, and reflect a large amount of solar energy toward space. They are difficult to represent in climate models however, due to their variable structure and rapid changes in reflectivity over short distances.