Questions as self-test Microwave Remote Sensing:

 

  1. Why is microwave remote sensing better suited for monitoring tropical rain forests than optical remote sensing?

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  2. What is the main difference between radar and optical remote sensing systems, like aerial photography or the SPOT satellite?

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  3. Passive microwave remote sensors have a lower spatial resolution than comparable (i.e. same wavelength, same altitude/platform) active microwave sensors. Why?

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  4. Radar in principle operates at one wavelength (or frequency) and one phase. Moreover, such a system normally operates at one polarization. How could we use radar images of different wavelengths and/or polarizations to extract more information about the Earth's surface?

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  5. What is the difference between range resolution and azimuth resolution of radar systems?

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  6. If an agricultural area, with crops such as wheat and corn, became flooded, what do you think these areas might look like on a radar image? Explain the reasons for your answers based on your knowledge of how radar energy interacts with a target.

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  7. Outline the first step you might want to perform on a radar image before carrying out any visual interpretation.

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  8. A particular object or feature may not have the same appearance (i.e. backscatter response) on all radar images, particularly airborne versus spaceborne radars. List some of the factors which might account for this.

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  9. What causes speckle in a radar image?

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  10. Explain what a SAR system is.

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