The influence a surface's reflectivity has on how much incoming solar radiation it absorbs versus reflects back to space, with high-albedo surfaces such as fresh snow and ice reflecting most sunlight and staying cool, while low-albedo surfaces such as open ocean, forest and bare soil absorb most of it and warm. Because melting snow and ice exposes darker ground or water beneath, which then absorbs more heat and drives further melting, the albedo effect is a key positive feedback in polar and high-mountain climate change.
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1. Albedo (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia infobox 'Lead section' = 'Albedo ( al-BEE-doh; from Latin albedo 'whiteness') is the fracti...' on 'Albedo'View the Source 2. Albedo Effect (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroductionQuote, Introduction
Albedo is the fraction of sunlight that is diffusely reflected by a body. It is measured on a scale from 0 to 1. Surface albedo is defined as the ratio of radiosity Je to the irradiance Ee received by a surface.
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