Other Names
Planetary albedo, symbol is Greek alpha
character
Definition
A ratio of the radiation reflected by a surface to that incident on it.
Clouds are the chief cause of
variations in the Earth's albedo since clouds have highly varying albedo,
dependent upon thickness and composition. Old snow is about 55% (0.55),
new snow around 80% (0.8). water surfaces vary from very low about 5% (0.05)
at high sun elevation to at least 70%(0.70) at low sun angles.
GES DISC Datasets
Quick Search for 'Albedo' with Mirador
Click on the corresponding 'WHOM access' links in the table below to access products containing specific parameter.
| Begin Date |
End Date |
WHOM Access |
Doc |
| Albedo
|
unitless |
NOAA/TOVS |
1978-11-30 |
1995-07-05 |
NOAA/TOVS
|
Y
|
Other sources for data
Atmos Composition
