Geography 1300A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 4 and 5: Refraction, Common Blue, Global Dimming
29 Jan 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Albedo is the reflective value of insolation on a surface. As the ice covered arctic retreats, darker water or land receives direct sunlight and absorbs more heat. This decreases albedo and adds to warming which is a positive feedback. On the greenland ice sheet, black carbon accumulation from distant wildfires may be a major factor in darkening of interior surfaces on the ice sheet. Arctic shipping lanes are great for transporting goods however, they cause ice loss, climate impacts, oil spills and risk of ship groundings. The emissions from these ships add soots and particulate materials in the arctic atmosphere. And as this material settles on snow covered glaciers and ice shelves, it darkens their surface s and worsens albedo - reducing feedback loops that cause climate change. Transmission: uninterrupted passage of shortwave + longwave energy through either the atmosphere or water.
