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albedo — English
Solar energy is received by the Earth in the form of short-wave radiation called insolation. The Earth’s surface reflects a certain amount of the incoming radiation back into the atmosphere. The ratio between the amount of incoming radiation and the amount that is reflected is expressed as a percentage and is called the albedo. The properties of the Earth’s surface determine what percentage is reflected, and these properties vary from place to place. Water bodies, grasslands, equatorial forests, deserts, ice masses, and urban areas all have different albedos. An ice mass will reflect most of the radiation it receives, while a dark, green, vegetated area will absorb most of the incoming radiation. Consequently the albedo varies from place to place on the Earth’s surface. Light-coloured areas such as sandy deserts and ice masses reflect far more radiation energy than dark coloured areas such as water bodies and vegetated areas.
