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28 votes
28 votes
If the sun is out all day, why is it not warm during an Arctic summer?

User Michael Ouyang
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2 Answers

28 votes
28 votes

Answer:

Most all of the visible light striking the snow or ice surface is reflected back without any particular preference for a single color. Most natural materials absorb some sunlight, which gives them their color. Clean snow, however, reflects most of the sunlight, creating a white appearance.

[ I commented on the other answer with the same little add-on, then I realised I could add an answer. Even though this is four days ago, meaning the person who asked the question doesn't need another answer, I hope to give someone else who might be looking at this some insight. ]

User Eero Aaltonen
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2.6k points
14 votes
14 votes

Answer:

The primary reason is that the sun is low on the horizon all day. Thus, solar energy needs to pass through more atmosphere to get to the ground.

Step-by-step explanation:

Hope this helps. :)

User Ashish Sarkar
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2.8k points