THE RELATIVE “shininess” of the Earth’s surface in a certain area will affect the local temperature — this is called albedo. Icy, snowy areas reflect most of the radiation of the Sun and remain cold. Forests and areas of bare soil absorb the radiation and tend to stay warm.
Albedo can be defined as a way of quantifying how much radiation is reflected from the surface. It is a comparison between the reflection radiations from the surface to the amount of radiation that hits it. This term also refers to the quantity of radiation generated by electromagnetic rays which consequently reflects away.
Seasonal Effects on Albedo
Summer
To understand albedo better, we look at two scenarios. One, if you walk barefoot on the black soil during summer, you will feel a lot of heat and can even get burnt because the surface is absorbing and retaining more heat. Another person walking on white soil during the same season will not be burnt. This is basically because white surface tends to reflect more heat and absorb very little of it. Equally, if you touch a black car in summer it will feel much hotter than touching a white car. This is because black absorbs and retains heat while white car surface will reflect back the solar rays.
Winter
During this season, it is generally wet with either water or ice. Water reflects approximately 6% of the light and absorbs the rest. Ice, on the other hand, reflects 50% to 60% of the incoming solar heat, thereby remaining cooler. A snow-covered area reflects a lot of radiation, which is why skiers having a risk of getting sunburns while on the slopes. Albedo diminishes when the snow-covered places start to warm up.
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