Lake Ice and
Snow Science
BASIC CONCEPTS: Albedo
Source: NSIDC
Albedo is a measure of reflectivity of a surface or body. It is the ratio of electromagnetic radiation (EM radiation) reflected to the amount incident upon it. The fraction, usually expressed as a percentage from 0% to 100% (or as a dimensionless value between 0 and 1), is an important concept in climatology and astronomy.
A perfect reflector reflects all the sunlight that strikes it. It looks white and has an albedo of 1. Objects that reflect most of the light that hit them appear bright and have a high albedo.
A perfect absorber does not reflect any of the sunlight that strikes it. It looks black and has an albedo of 0. When an object absorbs most of the light that hits it, it looks dark and has a low albedo.
More information about albedo
ALBEDO VALUES FOR COMMON EARTH SURFACES
| Surface | Albedo |
| Absolute black surface | 0.0 |
| Forest | 0.05-0.2 |
| Water | 0.06 |
| Grassland and cropland | 0.1-0.25 |
| Dark colored soil surfaces | 0.1-0.2 |
| Dry sandy soil | 0.25-0.45 |
| Dry clay soil | 0.15-0.35 |
| Sand | 0.2-0.4 |
| Mean albedo of the earth | 0.36 |
| Granite | 0.3-0.35 |
| Glacial ice | 0.3-0.4 |
| Light colored soil surfaces | 0.4-0.5 |
| Dry salt cover | 0.5 |
| Tops of clouds | 0.6-0.9 |
| Fresh, deep snow | 0.9 |
| Absolute white surface | 1.0 |
QUESTION: What would be the environmental consequences
if a land cover changed from glacier ice to water?
