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Albedo effect
Alfa Edith Ramos Quio
What is Albedo?
This term is used to describe and measure how much light is reflected from a body. In our case, it refers to the amount of sunlight that the Earth absorbs and that's reflected back into space.
Earth's average albedo is 0.3 to 0.35, which means 30% to 35% of the sunlight is reflected back into space.
30%
to
35%
What happens to the sunlight that is not reflected?
The other percentage of the sunlight gets absorbed by the earth. The ocean, trees, and dark soil have a significant role in this process.
65% to 70% is absorbed
30% to 35% is reflected
How it affects the Earth?
It is important to understand that light surfaces reflect more heat than dark surfaces.
01
The lower the albedo, the more radiation that gets absorbed by the planet, so there are warmer temperatures.
02
03
And a higher albedo would create a cooling effect.
Example
A common example of the albedo effect is the snow temperature feedback.
Snow-covered areas, like the polar ice caps, reflect a lot of radiation. But when those areas melt, the albedo goes down and the temperatures increase.
Global warming
Different surfaces on Earth have different albedos and different effects.
When the albedo changes in one area of the Earth, it affects the climate of the entire planet.
With the increase of temperature, the polar ice caps are melting, causing the albedo to decrease, and consequently the temperature of the planet increases.
Main causes of climate change
- Power Plants
- Transportation
- Farming
- Deforestation
- Garbage
- Use of fertilizers
By being aware and informing ourselves of the situations we live in, we can take actions for the benefit of our planet
References
Barber, D. (2019, November 22). Types of Scrubbers. Sciencing. Recovered from https://sciencing.com/list-7416802-types-scrubbers.html
Fraser, C. (2015, December 25). Albedo Effect. Universe Today. Recovered from https://www.universetoday.com/39937/albedo-effect/
The Big Freeze. (2010, December 14). The albedo effect - GCSE Geography. BBC Bitesize. Recovered from https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zhmb4wx#:%7E:text=Light%20surfaces%20reflect%20more%20heat,ice%20sheets%20to%20expand%20further
Albedo effect
Alfa Edith Ramos Quio
Created on March 26, 2021
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Click to continue to the next page
Albedo effect
Alfa Edith Ramos Quio
What is Albedo?
This term is used to describe and measure how much light is reflected from a body. In our case, it refers to the amount of sunlight that the Earth absorbs and that's reflected back into space.
Earth's average albedo is 0.3 to 0.35, which means 30% to 35% of the sunlight is reflected back into space.
30%
to
35%
What happens to the sunlight that is not reflected?
The other percentage of the sunlight gets absorbed by the earth. The ocean, trees, and dark soil have a significant role in this process.
65% to 70% is absorbed
30% to 35% is reflected
How it affects the Earth?
It is important to understand that light surfaces reflect more heat than dark surfaces.
01
The lower the albedo, the more radiation that gets absorbed by the planet, so there are warmer temperatures.
02
03
And a higher albedo would create a cooling effect.
Example
A common example of the albedo effect is the snow temperature feedback.
Snow-covered areas, like the polar ice caps, reflect a lot of radiation. But when those areas melt, the albedo goes down and the temperatures increase.
Global warming
Different surfaces on Earth have different albedos and different effects.
When the albedo changes in one area of the Earth, it affects the climate of the entire planet.
With the increase of temperature, the polar ice caps are melting, causing the albedo to decrease, and consequently the temperature of the planet increases.
Main causes of climate change
By being aware and informing ourselves of the situations we live in, we can take actions for the benefit of our planet
References
Barber, D. (2019, November 22). Types of Scrubbers. Sciencing. Recovered from https://sciencing.com/list-7416802-types-scrubbers.html
Fraser, C. (2015, December 25). Albedo Effect. Universe Today. Recovered from https://www.universetoday.com/39937/albedo-effect/
The Big Freeze. (2010, December 14). The albedo effect - GCSE Geography. BBC Bitesize. Recovered from https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zhmb4wx#:%7E:text=Light%20surfaces%20reflect%20more%20heat,ice%20sheets%20to%20expand%20further