albedo

[ al-bee-doh ]

noun

, plural al·be·dos.

1. Astronomy. the ratio of the light reflected by a planet or satellite to that received by it.
2. Meteorology. such a ratio for any part of the earth's surface or atmosphere.
3. pith ( def 2 ).

albedo

/ ælˈbiːdəʊ /

noun

1. the ratio of the intensity of light reflected from an object, such as a planet, to that of the light it receives from the sun
2. physics the probability that a neutron passing through a surface will return through that surface

albedo

/ ăl-bē′dō /

1. The fraction of the total light striking a surface that gets reflected from that surface. An object that has a high albedo (near 1) is very bright; an object that has a low albedo (near 0) is dark. The Earth's albedo is about 0.37. The Moon's is about 0.12.

Word History and Origins

Origin of albedo¹

First recorded in 1855–60; from Late Latin albēdō “white (color), whiteness,” equivalent to alb(us) “white” + -ēdō noun suffix; torpedo

Word History and Origins

Origin of albedo¹

C19: from Church Latin: whiteness, from Latin albus white

Example Sentences

Even in these locations, however, albedo changes are likely to offset the net climate benefit by at least 20 percent in around two-thirds of cases.

From Science Daily

Other potential outcomes include reductions in albedo — or the amount of light reflected by the ice — which would accelerate human-caused warming by creating an amplifying feedback loop.

From Los Angeles Times

The loss of ice affects land surface temperatures because of albedo, which is the measure of how reflective a surface is.

From Science Daily

Previous studies have suggested that sea-ice albedo feedbacks are likely driving Arctic amplification.

From Science Daily

The researchers discovered that the albedo effect of both of these "forests" was similar, but the absorption or prevention of carbon emissions was very different, favoring the solar forest.

From Science Daily