Snow and ice play a significant role in regulating Earth's energy balance. Their high albedo, or ability to reflect sunlight, helps to keep the planet cool. Fresh snow can reflect up to 90% of incoming solar radiation, while older snow or ice with impurities can still reflect 60-80%. This means that a large portion of the sunlight that hits snow-covered surfaces is bounced back into space, rather than being absorbed by the Earth and contributing to warming.

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Snow albedo

This reflective property of snow and ice is particularly important at the poles, where the sun's rays are more direct and intense. During the summer months, when the polar ice caps and glaciers melt, the exposed darker surfaces beneath absorb more solar radiation, leading to increased warming in the region. This phenomenon is known as the ice-albedo feedback loop.

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Ice albedo

The loss of sea ice and snow cover in the Arctic has been linked to a number of negative consequences, including rising sea levels, more extreme weather events, and changes in ocean circulation patterns. It is therefore crucial to understand and protect these vital components of the Earth's climate system.

In addition to its direct impact on energy balance, snow also plays a role in regulating the amount of moisture in the atmosphere. When snow melts, it releases water vapor, which can form clouds and precipitation. This process helps to maintain Earth's water cycle and provides essential freshwater resources for many parts of the world.

Overall, snow and ice are essential components of the Earth's climate system. Their high albedo helps to keep the planet cool, and their presence in the polar regions plays a critical role in regulating global climate patterns. The loss of snow and ice due to climate change is a serious threat to the planet's future, and it is important to take action to mitigate this issue.

Dr Murtadha Shukur thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Snow's high reflectivity helps Earth's energy balance because it reflects solar energy back into space, which helps cool the planet. Snow's albedo, or how much sunlight it reflects back into the atmosphere, is very high, reflecting 80 to 90 percent of the incoming sunlight. Changes in snow and ice cover affect various Earth system processes and phenomena, including: Increasing or decreasing the amount of sunlight absorbed by different areas of the surface of the Earth, which affects the climate, including regional temperatures and precipitation patterns.Because of their light color, snow and ice also reflect more sunlight than open water or bare ground, so a reduction in snow cover and ice causes the Earth's surface to absorb more energy from the sun and become warmer. Snow is whiter than ice, so it acts as a reflector and insulator on top of glaciers. More than 80 to 90 percent of the sunlight falling on fresh snow is reflected back into space, compared to 15 to 35 percent of the sunlight reflected by most ice. Thus, the proportion of Earth's surface that is covered by ice and snow affects how much of the Sun's solar radiation is absorbed, warming the planet, or reflected. Therefore, snow and ice which are covered in soot from pollution no longer reflect sunlight, but absorb it and so melting increases. The sea ice absorbs less solar energy and keeps the surface cooler. Snow has an even higher albedo than sea ice, so thick sea ice covered with snow reflects as much as 90 percent of the incoming solar radiation. This serves to insulate the sea ice, maintaining cold temperatures and delaying ice melt in the summer.Snow and ice can reflect 50- 90% of incoming sunlight. As the Earth's average temperature rises, snow and ice cover decreases, increasing the amount sunlight being absorbed, further contributing to global warming. When warming temperatures gradually melt sea ice over time, fewer bright surfaces are available to reflect sunlight back into the atmosphere. More solar energy is absorbed at the surface and ocean temperatures rise. Even though illumination increases at the poles in the summer, bright white snow and sea ice reflect a significant portion of the incoming light, reducing the potential solar heating. The amount of sunlight the Earth absorbs depends on the reflections of the atmosphere and the ground surface. Many factors, both natural and human, can cause changes in Earth's energy balance, including: Variations in the sun's energy reaching Earth. Changes in the reflectivity of Earth's atmosphere and surface. Changes in the greenhouse effect, which affects the amount of heat retained by Earth's atmosphere.