(CBS Detroit) – The sun’s radiation is scattered every day. Some of the sunlight is absorbed and some is reflected back into the atmosphere. It is a measure of the reflectance of a surface and can be used to explain the scientific term albedo.
Albedo can be defined as the fraction of radiation that hits a surface and is reflected by that surface. In other words, albedo represents the proportion of solar radiation (sunlight) that is absorbed and reflected by a surface.
The sun emits radiation and its energy hits the earth’s surface. Now, depending on what is on the surface – grass, snow, asphalt – determines how much energy is absorbed and reflected back into the atmosphere.
Think about it this way, as you may have experienced this as well. On a hot, sunny summer day, do you wear a light-colored shirt or a dark-colored shirt? Choosing a dark-colored shirt is more obvious than wearing a light-colored shirt. It will be warm. That’s because darker colors absorb more sunlight and lighter colors reflect more energy.
You can also think about this like this: Asphalt is a black surface that does not reflect much light and instead absorbs most of it, producing a low albedo. The snow in Verse is white and has a high albedo.
I consider albedo factors when making weather forecasts. For example, let’s say there’s fresh snow in downtown Detroit due to a lake-effect snow band. The energy is reflected, leading to a cooling effect on the temperature near the earth’s surface. Then, about 30 miles away in the Detroit suburbs, the area is said to have no snow and grass to be seen. This lowers the albedo of the grass and absorbs more sunlight, which can cause temperatures near the surface to be slightly warmer. Therefore, it may adjust its body temperature accordingly. Meteorologist Kylie Miller, this is the science of weather.