ENERGY TRANSFER: ALBEDO, ICE CAPS, SEA-LEVEL RISE, AND

EXPANSION
05/13/2014


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Figure 3 - The ice-albedo effect using solar energy
Figure 1 - Example of how albedo works on different surfaces and objects
Figure 2 - Albedos of different lands and
objects
Figure 4 - Black carbon under a microscope
Energy Transfer: Albedo, Ice Caps, Sea-
level Rise, and
Expansion
Handout
What is Albedo?
Albedo (also called: reflection coefficient, diffuse reflectivity) is the fraction/ratio of radiation which is reflected back to space by an
object or surface.
This radiation is coming from a source (like the sun). It is measured from 0 1; with 1 being the most
reflective and 0 being the least.
How does Albedo work?
The sun emits different wavelengths of light intercepted by the atmosphere and objects on Earth
Albedo usually refers to the average across the spectrum of visible light. It also depends on the directional
distribution of incident radiation, or the angle at which the light is reflected upon the surface.
Although, there is an exception for Lambertian surfaces; scatter radiation in all directions according the
cosine function.
Earths Radiation Budget
Helps us understand how much energy is being received from the sun and reflected
back to space.
What we have learned from this is that Earths overall temperature has risen 0.8C
since 1880 with two thirds of the warming occurring after 1975.
Ice-Albedo Effect
Large factor affecting Earths albedo is the melting of snow and ice.
Ice-Albedo Effect: ice melting causes more ocean and land exposure. This increases the albedo and
further warms the planet.
Pollutions Effects on Sea Ice
Black carbon (soot) is created through incomplete combustion
it affects sea ice greatly even more than CO2
These are called aerosols, and are measured in PPM.
sulfates are lighter coloured and have a low albedo
In recent decades, the balance between aerosols with high and
low albedos has lopsided towards high albedo aerosols
Using dry deposition, it lands on the ice which darkens it. As the
ice melts, it becomes concentrated within the ice.
Theory that if sea ice and glaciers continue to melt, they may
release millions of years of stored greenhouse gasses
ENERGY TRANSFER: ALBEDO, ICE CAPS, SEA-LEVEL RISE, AND
EXPANSION
05/13/2014


2 | P a g e

Figure 5 - The ice-albedo effect when pollutants are taken into
consideration
Figure 6 - Trends in global average absolute sea level, 1870-2008

Pollutions Effects on Polar Ice Caps and Glaciers
The same effects of pollution occur on polar ice caps and alpine glaciers
An example would be Mount Kitimenjaro (formed 11,000 years ago) Africas highest mountain which shrank 80% in the last
century.
Sea Ice
Sea ice is declining according to scientists.
Lowest point was on September 2007 when the ice was 25% less
than the previous record set in 2005. It was also 39% lower than the
climatological average since 1979
About 72,000 square kilometers of ice are lost yearly
Ice Melts Effects on Land and Sea
Polar ice caps cover a large span of area along the poles of our planets
stretching larger than continents.
One of the largest regulators of Earths temperature
As light is absorbed because of greenhouse gasses being trapped
within the atmosphere more, black carbon and other aerosols heat
the environment. This intensifies the ice-albedo effect.
Thermal Expansion and the Rising of the
Sea
The melting of polar ice, and warming of our planet doesnt just affect
our temperature. The heating causes thermal expansion of the ocean.
Thermal expansion: tendency of matter to change in volume in response to a change in temperature through heat transfer.
The second of the two mechanisms contributing to sea-level rise is the melting of major stores of land ice like glaciers and ice sheets.