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Here’s another chance to play geographical detective! These
images from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) were
captured by the instrument’s nadir camera on November 19, 2001,
and show a natural-color (left) and false-color (right) view of a 157
kilometer x 210 kilometer area. The natural-color image is composed of
data from the camera’s red, green, and blue bands. In the
false-color view, the green channel has been replaced with data from the
camera’s near-infrared band. This emphasizes the appearance of
vegetation. North is toward the top.
Use any reference materials you like to answer the following 5
questions:
In the upper left-hand corner, the ocean waters exhibit a murky
appearance due to a large amount of sediment being discharged from a
river mouth. For whom is the river named and what office did this person
hold?
In the upper left-hand quadrant of these images, a small, bright
reddish-orange feature is apparent near the coast in both the natural
and false-color views. The cause of this reddish-orange feature is:
The recurrence of a bloom of red algae.
An abundance of naturally-occurring iron deposits.
A modern art installation financed by a private consortium.
Waste from a mineral manufacturing and refining process.
A distinctively-shaped, dark-colored reservoir with a sinewy river
at one end is located to the south of the aforementioned reddish-orange
feature. This reservoir is the main water supply for a nearby industrial
and urban region. When these images were acquired, the water level
within this reservoir was at about 45% of total capacity. Over the next
six months, did the water level in the reservoir rise or fall?
A small seaside town within the image area (situated just over
halfway down this length of coastline) was named to commemorate the year
when a group of global explorers first set foot in this locality. What
is the name of the town?
In the lower right-hand quadrant of these images, a large winding
river flows through an agricultural region. Endemic only to the upper
reaches of this and a few other nearby rivers is an endangered fish with
a peculiar anatomical characteristic. Name the fish.
Quiz Rules E-mail your answers, name (initials
are acceptable if you prefer), and your hometown by Tuesday, October 29,
to suggestions@mail-misr.jpl.nasa.gov
Answers will be published on the MISR web site (http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov) in conjunction with
the next weekly image release. The names and home towns of respondents
who answer all questions correctly by the deadline will also be
published in the order responses were received. The first 3 people on
this list who are not affiliated with NASA, JPL, or MISR and who did not
win a prize in the last quiz will be sent a print of the image.
A new "Where on Earth...?" mystery appears as the MISR "image of the
week" approximately once every two months. A new image of the week is
released every Wednesday at noon Pacific time on the
MISR home page.