Which surface has the highest albedo for solar radiation and difference between albedo and reflectivity?
Thank you Prof, solar radiation if 100% will be received and reflected. in low albedo positions it will reflect 10% while for highes albedo 80%, so highes albedo is more effective and depending on the color of the reflected surface
(answer to number question 1,2)
The surface with the highest albedo for solar radiation is generally fresh snow. Fresh snow can have an albedo approaching 0.9 or even higher, meaning that about 90% or more of incoming solar radiation is reflected back into space.
In fact, Albedo is higher in Snow or Ice. Fresh snow has the largest reflection and hence the highest albedo. Fresh snow has the largest reflection and hence highest albedo, whereas Asphalt has the lowest albedo since it absorbs a maximum amount of solar radiation. Enceladus is not only Saturn's brightest moon, but it also has the highest albedo (reflectivity) of anybody in the solar system. This moon reflects almost 100% of the sunlight that hits the surface. It is highest in the Polar Regions where cloud and snow cover are plentiful and where average solar zenith angles are large. Secondary maxima of albedo occur in tropical and subtropical regions where thick clouds are prevalent, and over bright surfaces such as the Sahara Desert. The albedos of snow and ice are the greatest of any parts of the Earth's surface: Up to 90% of incoming solar energy is reflected in some places of Antarctica. "Albedo is the fraction of incident radiation that is reflected by a surface. While reflectance as this same fraction for a single incidence angle, albedo is the directional integration of reflectance over all sun-view geometries." For reflections at flat unstructured surfaces, instead of reflectance one may also use the term reflectivity. However, the reflectance is a more general term and can be specified in a wider range of situations: Reflections can occur on rough surfaces, where light is scattered. If something has a high albedo, it reflects larger amounts of light energy back into the atmosphere. If something has a low albedo, it absorbs most of the light that hits it. As more light is reflected off an object, the less heat energy it holds. Albedo is the percentage of solar radiation reflected by an object. Reflectivity is the capacity of an object to reflect solar radiation. It is described as a function of radiation wavelength and is determined by the physical composition of the object.
Prof. Rk Naresh, Thank you, let me ask you. what is the albedo if it reacts with CO2 in the air.
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