surface albedo

From Glossary of Meteorology
The ratio, expressed as a percentage, of the amount of electromagnetic radiation reflected by the earth's surface to the amount incident upon it.

Value varies with wavelength and with the surface composition. For example, snow and ice vary from 80% to 85% and bare ground from 10% to 20%.
Compare albedo.

Copyright 2024 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this work, please contact permissions@ametsoc.org. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, require written permission or a license from AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement.