Get What Is Albedopdf

Albedo (sometimes referred to as 'reflection coefficient') is a measure of how reflective a surface is. The term is derived from the Latin albus meaning 'white' and is either determined by a value between 0 and 1 or a percentage value. The more reflective a surface is the higher the albedo value.

Albedo (sometimes referred to as 'reflection coefficient') is a measure of how reflective a surface is. The term is derived from the Latin albus meaning 'white' and is either determined by a value between 0 and 1 or a percentage value. The more reflective a surface is the higher the albedo value.

In the strictest sense, albedo—or whiteness—is defined as the proportion of light reflected from a surface. Seen from space, Earth is a patchwork of darkness and light, from bright white ice caps and clouds to super-dark lava beds and everything in between.

If something has a high albedo, it reflects larger amounts of light energy back into the atmosphere. If something has a low albedo, it absorbs most of the light that hits it. As more light is reflected off an object, the less heat energy it holds. When more light is absorbed, the more the object takes in that heat.

In the strictest sense, albedo—or whiteness—is defined as the proportion of light reflected from a surface.

Albedo is the reflectivity of a surface. A surface that has a high albedo reflects a lot of solar radiation from the sun back into the atmosphere, whilst a surface that has a low albedo reflects little solar radiation, absorbing it instead. Related Links: Climate Change. Salinity of Ocean Waters.

Forests, for example, have an albedo of about 15%, which means that 15% of the sunlight that hit a forest is reflected out to space. Fresh snow, on the other hand, can have an albedo of 90%, which means that 90% of the sunlight that hits a snow-capped peak is reflected out to space.