Question

If a surface is said to have high albedo, most of the energy will be ________ by that surface.

1) absorbed only
2) reflected only
3) refracted only
4) equally absorbed and reflected

Answer 1

High albedo indicates that most of the energy will be reflected by a surface. Albedo measures the reflectivity or how much sunlight a surface reflects back into the atmosphere, with snow and ice having high albedo values.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a surface is said to have high albedo, most of the energy will be reflected by that surface. Albedo is a measure of the reflectivity of a surface, with higher albedo values indicating a greater proportion of incoming radiation being reflected back into the atmosphere rather than absorbed. Surfaces with high albedo, such as snow and ice, have significant implications for Earth's climate as they reflect solar energy and can influence global temperatures.

Reflective surfaces, rather than absorptive ones, are associated with higher albedo. By definition, a perfect blackbody is an idealized physical body that absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation, regardless of frequency or angle of incidence. Therefore, absorptive surfaces, which absorb the majority of incident light, more closely model a perfect blackbody.