New Delhi, May 16 (IANS). Do you know how sunlight works on Earth and affects the weather? On the occasion of International Day of Light, the United Nations gave detailed information about ‘albedo’ and explained why it is important for the Earth.
Light is not only a subject of science, but also plays an important role in culture, art, education and sustainable development. Giving information about this on the occasion of International Day of Light, UNESCO believes that understanding scientific processes like albedo is important to deal with climate change and save the Earth.
Albedo is the ability of any surface to reflect sunlight. This process plays an extremely important role in controlling the Earth’s climate and maintaining temperature balance. To understand albedo in simple words, it is the part that a surface reflects sunlight back into space. It is measured between 0 to 1. If a surface reflects 100 percent of the light, its albedo is 1. If 30 percent light returns, the albedo is 0.3.
For example, the albedo of snow and ice areas is very high, about 0.8 to 0.9. They reflect most of the sunlight back into space. At the same time, the albedo of the sea and forests is low. They absorb more light.
Now it is important to understand why albedo is important for the Earth? It directly affects the Earth’s climate. Surfaces with higher albedo, such as ice, help keep the Earth cooler because they absorb less heat from the Sun. If the ice melts, the albedo decreases, causing the Earth to absorb more heat and accelerating global warming. This can become a dangerous cycle.
The albedo of the atmosphere, oceans and land surface together determines how much energy from the Sun remains on Earth and how much goes back into space. This affects the weather, temperature and climate change process.
–IANS
MT/DKP