Albedos of typical materials in visible light range from up to 90% for fresh snow, to about 4% for
charcoal, one of the darkest substances. When seen from a distance, the ocean surface has a
low albedo, as do most forests, while desert areas have some of the highest albedos among
landforms. Most land areas are in an albedo range of 0.1 to 0.4. The average albedo of the Earth
is about 30%.
Human activities have changed the albedo (via forest clearance and farming, for example) of
various areas around the globe. However, quantification of this effect on the global scale is
difficult.
The classic example of albedo effect is the snow-temperature feedback. If a snow-covered area
warms and the snow melts, the albedo decreases, more sunlight is absorbed, and the
temperature tends to increase. The converse is true: if snow forms, a cooling cycle happens. The
intensity of the albedo effect depends on the size of the change in albedo and the amount of
radiation input; for this reason it can be potentially very large in the tropics.
The Earth's surface albedo is regularly estimated via Earth observation satellite sensors such as
NASA's MODIS instruments onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites
Sample albedos
Surface
Typical
Albedo
Fresh asphalt
0.04 (ref 1)
Conifer forest
0.08 (ref 2)
(Summer)
0.09 to 0.15 (ref 3)
Worn asphalt
0.12 (ref 1)
Deciduous
trees
0.15 to 0.18 (ref 3)
Bare soil
0.17 (ref 4)
Green grass
0.25 (ref 5)
Desert sand
0.40 (ref 5)
New concrete
0.55 (ref 4)
Ocean Ice
0.5–0.7 (ref 4)
Fresh snow
0.80–0.90 (ref 4)
References
1
Pon, Brian (1999-06-30). "Pavement Albedo". Heat Island Group.
http://eetd.lbl.gov/HeatIsland/Pavements/Albedo/
2
Alan K. Betts, John H. Ball (1997). "Albedo over the boreal forest". Journal
of Geophysical Research 102 (D24): 28,901–28,910.
doi:10.1029/96JD03876.
3
"The Climate System". Manchester Metropolitan University.
http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/Resources/gcc/1-3-3.html
4
Tom Markvart, Luis Castalzer (2003). Practical Handbook of
Photovoltaics: Fundamentals and Applications. Elsevier. ISBN
1856173909.
5
Tetzlaff, G. (1983). Albedo of the Sahara. pp. 60–63.