Albedo equation

Since the Albedo constant is a fraction of the total solar radiation re ected o Earth’s surface, Albedo can be bundled with solar radiation. Note, this is only valid for a lumped mass model where internal temperature gradients are ignored. The incident heat equation, as one side of the complete energy balance, is Q_ in= Q_ IR+ Q_ + Q_ albedo+ ...

Albedo equation. which affect albedo in one equation. 1 1 2 §·1 1 1 i S A i S A S A i i i iN i i R C F C F F H D o o o ¨¸ c ©¹ ¦ The model can calculate the albedo without the need for in-field measurements. The model can be deployed in many fields of research concerned with urban and …

Dec 1, 2019 · A theoretical equation is derived which clusters albedo-affecting parameters. • Albedo estimation is possible without the need for in-situ measurements. • In any environment, geometry, material, and light source features define albedo. • Diurnal albedo variations is linked to the geometry of the shadows in a location. •

This interactive activity adapted from NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey illustrates the concept of albedo—the measure of how much solar radiation is ...Albedo. Albedo, a, is defined as; The proportion of light that is reflected by a given surface. It can be calculated using the equation; a = More specifically, the albedo of a planet is defined as; The ratio between the total scattered, or reflected, radiation and the total incident radiation of that planet The principle of linear superposition for homogeneous linear differential equations then states that the general solution to (9.5.1) and (9.5.3) is given by u(x, t) = ∞ ∑ n = 1bnun(x, t) = ∞ ∑ n = 1bnsin(nπx / L)e − n2π2Dt / L2. The final solution step is to satisfy the initial conditions given by (9.5.2).What is Albedo? Albedo is the fraction of light that a surface reflects. If it is all reflected, the albedo is equal to 1. If 30% is reflected, the albedo is 0.3. The albedo of Earth's surface (atmosphere, ocean, land surfaces) determines how much incoming solar energy, or light, is immediately reflected back to space. The broadband albedo values retrieved from satellite sensors are usually compared directly to ground measurements. Some authors have noted the necessity of high spatial resolution albedo estimates to fill the gap between ground measurements and satellite retrievals. In this respect, hyperspectral airborne data with high spatial resolution is a powerful tool. …

Radiation Equation • Into deep space q=σεAT4 • Between two surfaces q=σε1ε2A1 F1-2 (T1 4-T 2 4) • If one surface is Earth, assume ε=1 and T=250 to 260 K Technically, q= A(T4-T4) but T deep space is 4K, <<T4 We can use these equations to calculate the heat transfer between two surfaces, once we calculate the view factor.The snow albedo has a maximum and minimum value defined by the parameter α max and α min. For air temperatures above 0 °C there is a fast exponential decay in snow albedo, Equation , whereas for temperature below 0 °C there is a slow linear decay in snow albedo, Equation :The left side of the BRDF states the diffuse part of the equation denoted here as \(f_{lambert}\). This is known as Lambertian diffuse similar to what we used for diffuse shading, which is a constant factor denoted as: \[ f_{lambert} = \frac{c}{\pi}\] With \(c\) being the albedo or surface color (think of the diffuse surface texture).What is the equilibrium temperature of a planet? What do we mean by equilibrium? Consider a planet of size Rp at a distance D from the Sun. Define the albedo (a) ...Black-body radiation is the thermal electromagnetic radiation within, or surrounding, a body in thermodynamic equilibrium with its environment, emitted by a black body (an idealized opaque, non-reflective body). It has a specific, continuous spectrum of wavelengths, inversely related to intensity, that depend only on the body's temperature, …A is the planetary albedo of the Earth, which is about 0.3. (from The Earth System) 2 ESS200A Prof. Jin-Yi Yu What Happens After the Earth Absorbs Solar Energy? qThe Earth warms up and has to emit radiative energy back to …The decrease in albedo due to snow aging can be mimicked by reasonable increases in grain size (50-100 m for new snow, growing to 1 mm for melting old snow).The model agrees well with observations ...The land surface albedo reflects the ability of the surface to reflect solar radiation and is a critical physical variable in the study of the Earth’s energy budget and global climate change. Algorithms for the retrieval of albedo usually require multi-angle measurements due to surface anisotropy. However, most of the satellites cannot …

Using Equation to solve for p V, we find that the derived albedo falls in the range shown in Equation below, where A is the peak-to-trough light-curve amplitude: Figure 2 shows the albedo–amplitude relationship for a generic NEO ( H = 19) with different visible light-curve amplitudes from 0 to 2 mag and different characteristic albedo values.Albedo is a measurement of the amount of light reflected from the surface of a celestial object, such as a planet, satellite, comet or asteroid.In the general case, the Penman equation is used for estimating PET but it is limited owing to the lack of meteorological data (Penman 1948 (Penman & 1956 Howell and Evett 2004, Allen et al.1998 ...Blacksmiths work iron when it is hot enough to emit plainly visible thermal radiation.. The emissivity of the surface of a material is its effectiveness in emitting energy as thermal radiation.Thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation that most commonly includes both visible radiation (light) and infrared radiation, which is not visible to human eyes.The Stefan–Boltzmann law expressed as a formula for radiation energy density is: ... The effect of albedo on temperature can be approximated by assuming that the energy absorbed is multiplied by 0.7, but that the …

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Earth's energy budget (in in W/m 2) determines the climate. It is the balance of incoming and outgoing radiation and can be measured by satellites. The Earth's energy imbalance is the "net absorbed" energy amount and grew from +0.6 W/m 2 (2009 est. [8]) to above +1.0 W/m 2 in 2019 [31]. The Earth's energy imbalance (EEI) is defined as "the ...Wikipedia lists the albedo of the planets, where you can see that it varies from very dark (0.11 for the Moon) to very bright (0.67 for cloud-covered Venus). The gas giants have albedos near 0.5. Earth's albedo is highly variable (due to clouds), but averages around 0.37. Saturn's moon Enceladus has an albedo above 1 (1.4)!apparent albedo obtained is compared to that estimated using theapparent albedo equation devised for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Airborne data were collected using the Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner (AHS). Field data were acquired at three sites: a camelina field, a green grass field, and a vineyard.Quartz is a guide to the new global economy for people in business who are excited by change. We cover business, economics, markets, finance, technology, science, design, and fashion. Want to escape the news cycle? Try our Weekly Obsession.

In the algorithm of Long2006, retrieved cloud fraction is a function of land surface albedo due to the use of in equation 1b [Long and Ackerman, 2000]. The diffuse radiative flux measured at the land surface is a total of diffused solar flux after scattered by cloud and that associated with multiple reflection between cloud and land surface.١٥‏/٠٨‏/٢٠١١ ... Equation (4) is due to direct reflection by the atmo- sphere [the first term on the right-hand side of Eq. (1)]. All of the solar radiation ...Albedo should be 'used for heat' because a higher albedo reflects solar radiation back into space, thus changing the W/m$^2$ received by the Earth's systems. Emitted heat does not depend on temperature only, there are obviously several other factors in the S-B equation, emissivity being important.Albedo range in facade according to building density: to determine the most efficient albedo level over building height profile, two simulations were run with a base case of low density (H/W = 0.3) and the other with high density (H/W = 1.5) for albedo ranging from 0.3 to 0.8. Figure 6.21 shows that when the level of albedo on walls increases, the air temperature increases too.FUZZ Texture. This is a relatively new map that is used to map fabrics and other materials with microfibers look more realistic. It's currently only utilized in real-time engines such as Marmoset and Unreal Engine 4. It's possible that offline render engines such as Cycles and Vray will eventually start to make use of these maps but currently ...Averaged over the entire planet, roughly 340 watts per square meter of energy from the Sun reach Earth. About one-third of that energy is reflected back into space, and the remaining 240 watts per square meter is absorbed by land, ocean, and atmosphere.Since the Albedo constant is a fraction of the total solar radiation re ected o Earth’s surface, Albedo can be bundled with solar radiation. Note, this is only valid for a lumped mass model where internal temperature gradients are ignored. The incident heat equation, as one side of the complete energy balance, is Q_ in= Q_ IR+ Q_ + Q_ albedo+ ... Albedo range in facade according to building density: to determine the most efficient albedo level over building height profile, two simulations were run with a base case of low density (H/W = 0.3) and the other with high density (H/W = 1.5) for albedo ranging from 0.3 to 0.8. Figure 6.21 shows that when the level of albedo on walls increases, the air temperature …Since the Albedo constant is a fraction of the total solar radiation re ected o Earth’s surface, Albedo can be bundled with solar radiation. Note, this is only valid for a lumped mass model where internal temperature gradients are ignored. The incident heat equation, as one side of the complete energy balance, is Q_ in= Q_ IR+ Q_ + Q_ albedo+ ...

The albedo appears to be highly constrained on the hemispheric and global scale and over interannual timescales. The hemispheric symmetry is an example of such a constraint, and the interannual variability of reflected energy is another example. The interannual variability is small, mostly regulated by the changes to clouds associated with the ...

12. The formula. 4πR2ơT4 = πR2L⊙(1 − a) 4πd2 4 π R 2 ơ T 4 = π R 2 L ⊙ ( 1 − a) 4 π d 2. is correct, if you want to calculate the radiative equilibrium temperature. You only need to use the right units. We can further simplify the formula to. T4 = L⊙(1 − a) 16πd2ơ. T 4 = L ⊙ ( 1 − a) 16 π d 2 ơ.Mar 12, 2022 · Surface albedo plays a controlling role in the surface energy budget, and albedo-induced radiative forcing has a significant impact on climate and environmental change (e.g., global warming, snow and ice melt, soil and vegetation degradation, and urban heat islands (UHIs)). Several existing review papers have summarized the algorithms and products of surface albedo as well as climate feedback ... The albedo ofa surface is the fraction of the incident sunlight that the surface reflects. Radiation that is not reflected is absorbed by the surface.The vector equation of a line is r = a + tb. Vectors provide a simple way to write down an equation to determine the position vector of any point on a given straight line. In order to write down the vector equation of any straight line, two...Albedo is the fraction of sunlight that is diffusely reflected by a body. It is measured on a scale from 0 (corresponding to a black body that absorbs all incident radiation) to 1 (corresponding to a body that reflects all incident radiation). Surface albedo is defined as the ratio of radiosity Je to the irradiance Ee … See moreLow, thick clouds primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the surface of the Earth. High, thin clouds primarily transmit incoming solar radiation; at the same time, they trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation emitted by the Earth and radiate it back downward, thereby warming the surface of the Earth. Whether a given cloud will heat or ...The Penman equation describes evaporation (E) from an open water surface, and was developed by Howard Penman in 1948. Penman's equation requires daily mean temperature , wind speed , air pressure , and solar radiation to predict E. Simpler Hydrometeorological equations continue to be used where obtaining such data is …Albedo varies between 0 and 1. Albedo commonly refers to the "whiteness" of a surface, with 0 meaning black and 1 meaning white. A value of 0 means the surface is a "perfect absorber" that absorbs all incoming energy. Absorbed solar energy can be used to heat the surface, evaporate water, or, when sea ice or snow is present, melt the surface.From equation −1 is also the photon mean free path. For air, which is a 4 to 1 mixture of N 2 and O 2, the data in table 6.1 and equation imply ≈ 1.8 ×10 −7 cm −1 near the center of the visible spectrum, hence −1 = 70 km. Thus, on a clear day, we can see about 70 km ≈ …

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"A hypothetical reference crop with an assumed crop height of 0.12 m, a fixed surface resistance of 70 s m-1 and an albedo of 0.23." The reference surface ...Jan 18, 2023 · In our proposed SRI method, the rear-side irradiance is determined by the spectral albedo of the ground. The rear incident spectrum, G r, SRI, is: (Equation 2) G r, SRI (λ) = A M 1.5 G (λ) R S R I (x, τ) where R S R I represents a system-level ratio of rear-to-front module plane of array irradiance (PoA) for spectral albedo, x, and system tracking type, τ. The model equation that describes the relation between energy and temperature is below: Energy(to, from Earth) = e 𝝈 Temperature4 where Energy is measured in W m-2. For this exercise, the energy incoming to Earth (directly related to the Sun's brightness) equals the energy outgoing from Earth, equivalent to 1361 W m-2 for a 100% brightness value.Jan 18, 2023 · In our proposed SRI method, the rear-side irradiance is determined by the spectral albedo of the ground. The rear incident spectrum, G r, SRI, is: (Equation 2) G r, SRI (λ) = A M 1.5 G (λ) R S R I (x, τ) where R S R I represents a system-level ratio of rear-to-front module plane of array irradiance (PoA) for spectral albedo, x, and system tracking type, τ. Since the Albedo constant is a fraction of the total solar radiation re ected o Earth’s surface, Albedo can be bundled with solar radiation. Note, this is only valid for a lumped mass model where internal temperature gradients are ignored. The incident heat equation, as one side of the complete energy balance, is Q_ in= Q_ IR+ Q_ + Q_ albedo+ ... May 3, 2017 · Albedo should be 'used for heat' because a higher albedo reflects solar radiation back into space, thus changing the W/m$^2$ received by the Earth's systems. Emitted heat does not depend on temperature only, there are obviously several other factors in the S-B equation, emissivity being important. For the earth, the atmospheric albedo, which is entirely produced by ... The equation of state is the Ideal Gas Law. These assumptions allow us to treat the ...Formula with Variables Description The formula to calculate albedo is: Albedo=Reflected Solar Radiation/Incident Solar Radiation Where: Reflected Solar Radiation: The amount of solar energy reflected by the surface. Incident Solar Radiation: The total amount of solar energy incident on the surface. Example Let's consider an example.Relevant Equations. General formula for Albedo: Stefan-Boltzmann equation: Combining the two: As mentioned above, I wanted to devise an equation that can relate the colour of a surface to the temperature on the surface. I tried using the general definition of albedo and combining it with the Stefan-Boltzmann equation (see above, Relevant ...The preceding analyses suggest a two-step retrieval procedure: first calculate B 1,B 2, and B 1 /B 2 from the measured total and direct radiative fluxes, and then estimate cloud albedo using equation (13a) or (), and cloud fraction using equation ().. The physical meanings of B 1 and B 2 are worth noting. First, B 1 essentially represents the RCRF for …The land surface albedo reflects the ability of the surface to reflect solar radiation and is a critical physical variable in the study of the Earth’s energy budget and global climate change. Algorithms for the retrieval of albedo usually require multi-angle measurements due to surface anisotropy. However, most of the satellites cannot currently provide sufficient and … ….

This part is called albedo (a) or reflectivity. Earth’s average albedo is about a = 0.3. This means that one third of the incident solar radiation is reflected to space and does not contribute to heating the climate system. Therefore ASR = (1 – a) S = 240 Wm-2. Assuming Earth is a perfect blackbody ETR = σT 4. With this equation B2.1 ...We also display C averaged over four equal-area latitude zones (colored areas). Figure 7. (a) Cloudiness time-series, see Equation 4. A smaller time window is ...Aug 25, 2023 · Albedo, fraction of light that is reflected by a body or surface. It is commonly used in astronomy to describe the reflective properties of planets, satellites, and asteroids. It is an important consideration in climatology since recent decreases in the albedo in the Arctic has increased heat absorption at the surface. Terrestrial evapotranspiration. In Advanced Remote Sensing (Second Edition), 2020. 17.3.5 The empirical Penman–Monteith equation. The Penman–Monteith equation is widely used in land process modeling to estimate vegetation transpiration or soil evaporation because it requires only conventional observations as input and does not require input from two levels.Ice cloud albedo can then be calculated using the two-stream approximation, as in equation . Domain-averaged liquid cloud drop effective radius increases throughout the simulations until the timing of the collapse of the boundary layer, at which point it sharply decreases ( figure 1 e ).So if it helps, we can rearrange the single scattering albedo equation like this: However, the output of “ω” can only be between 0 and 1. If “ω” is 0, the medium/material will absorb everything (particles, photons, etc.). If “ω” is 1, the medium/material will scatter everything (particles, photons, etc.). The final main piece of ...... equation correctly, you may treat the earth as a blackbody. That is, it receives all radiation impinging on it. Set albedo to zero and calculate a temperature.Albedo, as defined as "the fraction of solar energy reflected" (Earth & Space Research (ESR)). As a dimensionless exponent, it can be expressed as both a simple number and percentage figure. The higher the percentage, the more energy ... Equation 1. Once the relative albedo was calculated, the absolute albedo was calculated by:٣١‏/١٢‏/٢٠٢١ ... The calculation was completed in GRASS GIS [17,18]. The spatial resolution of VIS Landsat 8 albedo (L8 albedo) is. 30 m. The Sentinel 2A sensor ... Albedo equation, In the study of heat transfer, Schwarzschild's equation [1] [2] [3] is used to calculate radiative transfer ( energy transfer via electromagnetic radiation) through a medium in local thermodynamic equilibrium that both absorbs and emits radiation. The incremental change in spectral intensity, [4] ( dIλ, [W/sr/m 2 /μm]) at a given wavelength ..., The model equation that describes the relation between energy and temperature is below: Energy(to, from Earth) = e 𝝈 Temperature4 where Energy is measured in W m-2. For this exercise, the energy incoming to Earth (directly related to the Sun's brightness) equals the energy outgoing from Earth, equivalent to 1361 W m-2 for a 100% brightness value., The Bond albedo (also called spheric albedo, planetary albedo, and bolometric albedo ), named after the American astronomer George Phillips Bond (1825–1865), who originally proposed it, is the fraction of power in the total electromagnetic radiation incident on an astronomical body that is scattered back out into space. , Chapter 2. Albedo 1. Introduction. Albedo is a measurement, expressed as a fraction, of the amount of radiation scattered from a surface or an object. In this chapter we describe those albedos most commonly used and describe methods to calculate them in cases where analytical solutions are difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. , Averaged over the entire planet, roughly 340 watts per square meter of energy from the Sun reach Earth. About one-third of that energy is reflected back into space, and the remaining 240 watts per square meter is absorbed by land, ocean, and atmosphere., ٠٩‏/٠٧‏/٢٠٢١ ... Land percentage x albedo of land + water percentage x albedo of water = overall albedo. ... Is there a streamlined equation to determine things? r ..., For the earth, the atmospheric albedo, which is entirely produced by ... The equation of state is the Ideal Gas Law. These assumptions allow us to treat the ..., ١٥‏/٠٨‏/٢٠١١ ... Equation (4) is due to direct reflection by the atmo- sphere [the first term on the right-hand side of Eq. (1)]. All of the solar radiation ..., [1] Albedo ( / ælˈbiːdoʊ /; from Latin albedo 'whiteness') is the fraction of sunlight that is diffusely reflected by a body. It is measured on a scale from 0 (corresponding to a black body that absorbs all incident radiation) to 1 (corresponding to a body that reflects all incident radiation). , Appendix II.) This model assumes that the albedo constant does not vary over the Earth's surface, neglecting the variation of diffuse reflectance with geographical features. A good estimate of the Earth's annual average albedo constant is 0.3. Under these assumptions, the amount of solar flux diffusely reflected from dAe is given by: Fout = ALB ..., Albedo (a) and net solar radiation (R ns) A considerable amount of solar radiation reaching the earth's surface is reflected. The fraction, a, of the solar radiation reflected by the surface is known as the albedo. The albedo is highly variable for different surfaces and for the angle of incidence or slope of the ground surface., ١٥‏/٠٨‏/٢٠١١ ... Equation (4) is due to direct reflection by the atmo- sphere [the first term on the right-hand side of Eq. (1)]. All of the solar radiation ..., Climate sensitivity ¶. Let’s now define another important term: Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity (ECS): the global mean surface warming necessary to balance the planetary energy budget after a doubling of atmospheric CO2. We will denote this temperature as ΔT2×CO2 Δ T 2 × C O 2. ECS is an important number., Once the relative albedo was calculated, the absolute albedo was calculated by: The constant 0.65 is the previously determined albedo of the known reference sample. Results & Discussion In preparing this paper, the digital camera method was used alongside the lux meter, so a direct side-by-side comparison is possible. , Changing forest cover is a key driver of local climate change worldwide, as it affects both albedo and evapotranspiration (ET). Deforestation and forestation are predicted to have opposing influences on surface albedo and ET rates, and thus impact local surface temperatures differently. Relationships between forest change, albedo, ET, …, Surface albedo plays a controlling role in the surface energy budget, and albedo-induced radiative forcing has a significant impact on climate and environmental change (e.g., global warming, snow and ice melt, soil and vegetation degradation, and urban heat islands (UHIs)). Several existing review papers have summarized the algorithms …, As far as the cloud coverage is concerned, we adopt different values for clouds over oceans, continents, and ices in our formulation of the albedo (Equation ). The observational support for variations of the cloud coverage on different types of underlying surfaces comes from an analysis of Earth data performed by Sanromá & Pallé ( 2012 )., the equation for the albedo is (12) ∈ = ∑ m=1 N S λ m 1-λ m c ¯ m ∑ j=1 N1 ( e → m ) J . The task is now to determine proper values and vectors of the view factor-absorption matrix , i.e. to solve the proper value problem., I'm trying to convert albedo values to temperature in ArcGIS Pro using raster calculator. Basically, you convert the equation into python and then new values are calculated. The equation is seen here: temperature using albedo equation. the constants are here: constant value amounts. Could anyone else convert this? I've tried using this:, where is the solar zenith angle; is the solar altitude angle, =; is the hour angle, in the local solar time.; is the current declination of the Sun; is the local latitude.; Derivation of the formula using the subsolar point and vector analysis. While the formula can be derived by applying the cosine law to the zenith-pole-Sun spherical triangle, the spherical …, Jun 25, 2014 · In the algorithm of Long2006, retrieved cloud fraction is a function of land surface albedo due to the use of in equation 1b [Long and Ackerman, 2000]. The diffuse radiative flux measured at the land surface is a total of diffused solar flux after scattered by cloud and that associated with multiple reflection between cloud and land surface. , The symbols have been used in their most general sense, without any subscripting or other embellishments so that e.g. L could mean Ll , the radiance in the wavelength interval [ l , l + d l ], or LV , the "visual radiance" in the Johnson V-band or indeed it could mean the radiance integrated over all wavelengths, the "bolometric radiance"., The expression for the simplified albedo flux is formed by considering the following: intensity of the sunlight striking the planet, q sol; fraction of sunlight reflected, r (i.e., the albedo factor is just 1 - a); scaling of intensity from orbit noon (i.e., solar zenith angle, ); local form factor to the planet, FF., Albedo is an additional, or secondary substance which is present in some alchemical ingredients in addition to the primary substance. All alchemical ingredients contain one of six basic substances: aether, hydragenum, quebrith, rebis, vermilion, and vitriol. There are also three additional substances: albedo, nigredo, and rubedo. Any given ingredient may …, For both instruments, we used the Reference Kokhanovsky and Zege Kokhanovsky and Zege (2004) model to derive the snow grain SSA, showing the usefulness of this equation with a fixed shape factor (b) value for the different shapes measured (fresh snow, rounded grains, depth hoar) and an escape function, K 0, adapted to the type of albedo ..., Changing forest cover is a key driver of local climate change worldwide, as it affects both albedo and evapotranspiration (ET). Deforestation and forestation are predicted to have opposing influences on surface albedo and ET rates, and thus impact local surface temperatures differently. Relationships between forest change, albedo, ET, …, Authors: Pomraning, G C Publication Date: Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1965 Research Org.: General Atomic Div., General Dynamics Corp., San Diego, Calif., Abstract Albedo is a key parameter that is widely used in land surface energy balance studies, mid-to-long-term weather prediction, and global climate change investigation. Remote sensing is an effective way to map the land surface albedo on both the regional and global scales., It's important to keep hydrated before, during, and after a workout, but if you're not satisfied with conventional "until you're not thirsty" wisdom, Men's Health explains how to calculate how much you need to drink to replenish your fluids..., Albedo is the amount of energy reflected by a surface without being absorbed. An object with high albedo reflects the majority of the radiation while an object with low albedo reflects only a small amount of incoming radiation but absorbs the majority of the radiation. Think about being outside and how different materials reflect or absorb the ..., Using the mean planetary albedo, calculate earth's surface temperature. You may report the temperature in units of Kelvin, celsius, or fahrenheit. If solved correctly you should see in the equation that the average incoming solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere (units of W/m 2 ) is the solar constant scaled by a factor of 4., Experiment: Calculating Albedo. Design an experiment to compare the albedo of various substances. Your teacher will provide you with a light meter. Remember that albedo is calculated by dividing the reflected radiation by the incoming radiation: Albedo = reflected light/incoming light; You can calculate the albedo of any surface., Albedo varies between 0 and 1. Albedo commonly refers to the "whiteness" of a surface, with 0 meaning black and 1 meaning white. A value of 0 means the surface is a "perfect absorber" that absorbs all incoming energy. Absorbed solar energy can be used to heat the surface, evaporate water, or, when sea ice or snow is present, melt the surface.