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Albedo (/ æ l ˈ b iː d oʊ / al-BEE-doh; from Latin albedo 'whiteness') is the fraction of sunlight that is diffusely reflected by a body. It is measured on a scale from 0 (corresponding to a black body that absorbs all incident radiation) to 1 (corresponding to a body that reflects all incident radiation).
In astronomy, the geometric albedo of a celestial body is the ratio of its actual brightness as seen from the light source (i.e. at zero phase angle) ...
The Bond albedo is a value strictly between 0 and 1, as it includes all possible scattered light (but not radiation from the body itself). This is in contrast to other definitions of albedo such as the geometric albedo, which can be above 1. In general, though, the Bond albedo may be greater or smaller than the geometric albedo, depending on ...
Reflectivity is the square of the magnitude of the Fresnel reflection coefficient, [4] which is the ratio of the reflected to incident electric field; [5] as such the reflection coefficient can be expressed as a complex number as determined by the Fresnel equations for a single layer, whereas the reflectance is always a positive real number.
In meteorology and climatology, global and local temperatures depend in part on the absorption of radiation by atmospheric gases (such as in the greenhouse effect) and land and ocean surfaces (see albedo). In medicine, X-rays are absorbed to different extents by different tissues (bone in particular), which is the basis for X-ray imaging.
The law was formulated by Josef Stefan in 1879 and later derived by Ludwig Boltzmann. The formula E = σT 4 is given, where E is the radiant heat emitted from a unit of area per unit time, T is the absolute temperature, and σ = 5.670 367 × 10 −8 W·m −2 ⋅K −4 is the Stefan–Boltzmann constant. [28]
The albedo of particles of shapes that are easily parameterized in non-standard coordinate systems may be determined through solutions of Maxwell's equation analogs in such coordinate systems. Scattering albedo equations have yet to be determined in elliptical, toroidal, conical, and many others.
Cloud albedo is a measure of the albedo or reflectivity of a cloud. Clouds regulate the amount of solar radiation absorbed by a planet and its solar surface irradiance . Generally, increased cloud cover correlates to a higher albedo and a lower absorption of solar energy .