Albedo Of The Earth 

•        Albedo is the amount of solar radiation  that reflected back into space from the Earth's surface without heating the surface. It has a value of less than one and is a reflection coefficient.

 

•        A body or a surface reflects a fraction of light which is called ‘Albedo.’ There are two types of  Albedo – terrestrial albedo and astronomical albedo

•        On a scale of 0-1, albedo is measured. A0 indicates that the material's surface absorbs all of the sunlight that strikes it. A1 indicates that a material reflects all light energy that it encounters.A1 on the albedo scale equals 100% reflection. A0 indicates that there is no reflection.

•        For example, fresh asphalt has an albedo of roughly 0.05, meaning that only 5% of the light is reflected. The remaining 95% is absorbed.

•        Snow and ice have a greater albedo.

The overall albedo of the Earth - measured to be 0.30 - has a significant effect on the equilibrium temperature of the Earth as it changes how much solar energy is reflected by the Earth as opposed to how much is absorbed. This changes how Earth's energy budget balances and thus changes Earth's heat balance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Types of Albedo

Albedo is divided into two types:

Terrestrial Albedo

•        Terrestrial Albedo is the measurement of Earth's albedo.

•        The Earth's Terrestrial Albedo is roughly 0.31, or around two-thirds of the solar radiation that reaches the planet.

•        They are influenced by a variety of elements, including the presence of an ocean, a forest, clouds, and deserts, among others.

Astronomical Albedo

•        The reflectivity of planets (except Earth), asteroids, and other celestial bodies are measured by astronomical albedo.

•        The albedo is a measure of a celestial body's surface and atmospheric features.

•        It is crucial in the field of astronomy.

Effect Of Earth’s Albedo On Climate

•        albedo has a significant impact on the planet's temperature.

•        The amount of radiation absorbed will be high if the average albedo is lower than the previous year's albedo.

•        The Earth's temperature rises as a result of this.

•        The albedo of the Earth is regularly measured by satellites in order to track global warming.

Significance of Albedo

•        The albedo of the Earth is one of the key features that govern how much energy is absorbed by the Earth's surface, and cloudiness and ground cover are crucial components in climate models.

•        It has a substantial impact on the Earth's equilibrium temperature because it modifies how much solar energy is reflected rather than absorbed by the Earth.

•        As recent albedo losses in the Arctic have increased heat absorption at the surface, it is an essential factor in climatology.

•        It is crucial to the energy balance of the earth's surface because it determines the rate at which incident solar radiation is absorbed.