British Sign Language Glossaries of Curriculum Terms

BSL Environmental Science Glossary - Albedo definition

Definition: Albedo is a measure of the reflectivity of a surface. More reflective surfaces have high albedos. A surface that reflects all light has an albedo of 100%, while one that absorbs all light has an albedo of 0%. For example the ice caps at the North and South Pole have a high albedo (they reflect a great deal of the light shining on them). This helps regulate the Earth's temperature - as the ice melts less light is reflected and temperatures rise.