albedo
7
9.9
- noun
- /ælˈbiːdoʊ/
- Specialized
- More snow in a colder climate makes the albedo larger, reflects more radiation, cools the Earth more, and that might spiral on itself.
- cloud albedo
- surface albedo
- albedo increases
Examples
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Scientists measure the planet's albedo to understand its climate and energy balance.
-
First, they are going to increase the albedo—the reflectivity—of your polar ice caps.
Fiction book (2001) -
The low albedo is probably due to the presence of a dust crust.
Academic text (1992) -
Forests are very dark in their coloration, their albedo is very low.
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And as you decrease the sea ice, you uncover the low albedo ocean below.
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However, from what is known today, increasing the earth's albedo offers the most promising method for rapidly cooling the planet.
Academic text (2009) -
During summer, divergence of the ice controls the abundance of open water and alters the albedo feedback.
Academic text (2011) -
Water's radiative properties determine the magnitude of the greenhouse effect, the planetary albedo, and hence Earth's surface temperature.
Academic text (2012) -
Most schemes that would alter the earth's albedo envision putting reflective particles into the upper atmosphere, much as volcanoes do already.
Academic text (2009) -
The surface of the moon has a low albedo, which means it reflects very little light.
Synonyms
3
6.1
How much light or heat a surface sends back
1
7.9
The amount of light a surface sends back
1
6.0
How much light a surface sends back when light hits it
1
7.4
Part of light that bounces off a surface, like a mirror
Part of incoming light or heat that bounces off a surface
How Reflective
Surface Forms
Etymology
Albedo comes from the Latin root albus, meaning 'white', and the same root appears in albino. So albedo is a measure of 'whiteness' that tells how much light a surface reflects, with whiter surfaces sending back more light.