Remote Sensing: Martin Austin, Taylor Nimsz
10/11/07
Biology 102.3
Q1 - Differing levels of chlorophyll as the leaves reach senescence. (turning) These colors are trees
of varying types, orange and red are mountain maple, light browns and rust reds are mountain
oak, and yellows a mix of oaks and predominant maple trees.
Q2 - These are coniferous trees (evergreens) that do not reach senescence late in the season.
Q3 - Predominately green with some blue.
Q4 - Varying shades of Green, Blue and Red. Predominately Greens and Blues, some brown and
yellows and even dark red blue hue nearing purple. The colors vary depending on the reflection
composite of the image, smaller pixilated colors work together to provide overall reflected
color.
Q5 - Radiometric range is the dependent variable, the channel is independent.
Q6 - Channels 2, 3 and 4 are the reflected colors- Blue predominant with a value of approximately
(65 – 70) on the radiometric range, green and red have lesser values.
Q7 - The overall color of the lake is blue and green as they have the predominate value of color on
the radiometric value scale.
Q8 - This section of the lake is less predominately reflected water than the middle of the lake, as it
nears the shallow section with sediment and other features. The difference observed is the
varied surface area reflected.
Q9 - On the reflected grayscale red (channel 4) is the predominant color that contributes to the most
brightness of the scale. The red spectrum has a larger wavelength which will cause a higher
radiometric resolution creating a lighter and more accurate image. In addition, the conclusion is
supported by the visual (naked eye) swag.
Q1 - Mostly red, indicates the presence of large amounts of chlorophyll. (plant life)
Q2 - The image shows more blues and greens, and a significantly lesser amount of red. (chlorophyll)
Q3 - Post cataclysmic Spirit Lake (1980 image) does not appear to have the same amount of
reflected color, showing an increased amount of sediments, possibly ash- and a reduced amount
of surface water depth.
Q4 - Both the South and North Fork of the Toutle River valleys are a lighter green/blue. The lighter
color suggests a decreased depth of the valley, likely from the flow and cooling of magma (lava)
that has deposited with rock (basalt), in addition to destruction of surface due to the explosion.
It also shows a reduction of red that denotes the destruction of plant life (chlorophyll) from the
resultant catastrophe.
Q5 - These valleys provided the path of least resistance for the flowing lava from the volcanic crater.
Thus they filled with lava, destroying everything in its path, decreasing the depth of these
valleys.
Q6 - Over the sixteen years time, the vegetation (reflected red chlorophyll) has grown and covered
the new rock and soil deposited by the volcanic activity.
Q7 - Spirit Lake has mostly returned to its original state (water) despite a change in its boundaries
and depth. The lack of color denotes the sediments and ash have settled and the depth has
returned.