Not all incoming solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere reaches the Earth’s surface. In fact, approximately 30% of the energy that reaches the top of the Earth’s atmosphere is reflected away. This reflection of light away from the earth is due to albedo.

Open the Earth's Radiation Balance learning tool and click on the top right panel entitled “Earth’s Reflection of Solar Radiation” (wait to explore other sections).

Be able to answer the following questions (posed in the learning tool) before you move on:

1. What features of the earth and its atmosphere reflect light?
2. How does the melting of ice caps affect the amount of light reflected away from the earth?
3. With the radiometer image in mind, why might the earth reflect more light in specific areas than others?