Earthguide Online Classroom

Definition - Climate vs. weather.

Fraction of sunlight reflected by the Earth's land surface Albedo the ratio of reflected light to incoming light. The higher the albedo, the greater the reflection and lower the absorption of a surface.

Note that no data are available for ocean areas or the polar areas indicated by white.

Data was collected by the MODIS instrument flying aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. This image was produced using data composited over a 6-day period, from April 7-22, 2002. A composite dataset or image is one composed of information collected at different times rather than all at once (synchonously).
Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA.


Questions for discussion

  1. Coming soon!



Take away concepts

  • Coming soon!




© 2010 Earthguide at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
All rights reserved.