Word of the day: albedo
From a University of Washington news release:
EARTH'S REFLECTIVITY A GREAT UNKNOWN Reflectivity, or albedo, is largely governed by clouds and atmospheric particles called aerosols, but it is one of Earth's least-understood properties... [R]esearch aimed at quantifying the effects of albedo and helping scientists understand how it could affect future climate change has been delayed or shelved altogether.
"The attention being paid to the greenhouse effect is warranted. But the changes to the energy budget of this planet don't just involve the enhanced greenhouse effect. They also involve aerosols and clouds," Charlson said.
"If we don't understand the albedo-related effects, that is aerosols and clouds, then we can't understand the effects of greenhouse gases."
The Earth's albedo was first measured in the 1920s by astronomers who monitored "Earthshine" on the dark side of the moon and made comparisons to the sunlit side of the moon. But methods to measure albedo have varied greatly, as has confidence in the accuracy of the results. That means albedo still is "the big unknown" in climate research... though it makes up half the equation for understanding the planet's energy budget.
11:12:02 AM 
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