Why is the albedo so high over Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When considering why albedo is high over Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean, we need to think about how surface properties affect solar radiation.
Option 1 suggests that ice and snow are very cold and thus absorb most of the insolation. While the polar regions are indeed very cold, the key factor for albedo is color and reflectivity, not temperature alone. Ice can be cold regardless, but this statement misattributes the high reflectivity to absorption due to cold, which is incorrect.
Option 2 claims that ice and snow are very light in color so it absorbs the majority of the insolation. Light color does not absorb; it tends to reflect. Absorption would be higher for dark surfaces, not light-colored ones, making this option inconsistent with observed high albedo.
Option 3 states that ice and snow there are very light in color so it reflects the majority of the insolation that reaches it. This aligns with the basic definition of albedo: bright, reflective surfaces like fresh snow and clean ice reflect a large portion of incoming sunlight, leading to a high albedo.
Option 4 says ice and snow are very cold so they reflect the majority of the insolation. Again, while the surface is cold, the decisive factor for reflection is color/reflectivity rather than temperature. This option confounds temperature with reflective capacity and is not the primary driver of high albedo.
In summary, the high albedo is primarily due to the bright, light-colored surfaces of snow and ice reflecting sunlight rather than absorbing it, which makes Option 3 the correct explanation. The other choices mix up cause-and-effect by attributing reflection to temperature or to absorption-prone properties, which do not accurately describe albedo physics.

Why is the albedo so high over Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean?

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