COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Sun and sky, snow and ice
Description: Albedo is part of what has stabilized Earth's climate for millennia, because under normal conditions, the white of the polar ice reflects light energy back to space, keeping average global temperature stable. The more area covered by ice, the more heat reflected back to space. The more ice that melts, the more heat absorbed. Increasing temperatures are melting more ice, which exposes darker brown and green land and dark blue ocean. Those darker surfaces have a lower albedo, so they absorb more of the heat from the sun's rays. [Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory]
URL: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/blog/2017/6/sun-and-sky-snow-and-ice
Availability: Full Text
Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Publish Date: 6/5/2017
Reading Level: Basic
Page Length:  

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