Albedos
Abstract
The albedo of the earth's surface varies dramatically from values of about 3 to 4 percent for calm bodies of water up to about 55 percent for gypsum sands. This rather broad range of reflected incoming solar radiation presents difficulties when attempting to define an average albedo for terrain over a large region from locally determined values. The patchwork, or checkerboard, appearance of the earth's surface as viewed from above is the result of various human activities, such as agriculture, the proliferation of urban sprawl, and road building. Each of these variable appearing surfaces will have individual albedos, rendering any attempt to determine an areal albedo almost an impossibility on the mesoscale. However, a vast data base exists for microscale applications for individual acreages, for example. A compilation of these data is presented.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA268255
Entities
People
- Frank V. Hansen
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory