Albedo -- from Eric Weisstein's World of Physics (original) (raw)
The word albedo is a general term for the ratio of reflected/scattered power to incident power,
 |
(1) |
|---|
It is also called then reflection coefficient. The albedo (sometimes called the simple albedo) is also given by
where 
is the emissivity. This is Kirchhoff's law.
For albedos of some common substances, see Rees (1990) and Weast (1981).
| Substance/Object | Albedo |
|---|---|
Enceladus  |
0.8 |
| Europa |
0.6 |
| forest | 0.05-0.10 |
| granite | 0.30-0.35 |
| grass | 0.05-0.30 |
| Mars |
0.25 |
| Moon |
0.12 |
| sand | 0.20-0.40 |
| snow | 0.6 |
| soil | 0.05-0.30 |
| urban areas | 0.05-0.20 |
There are a number of specific types of albedos with precise definitions.
Bond Albedo, Geometric Albedo, Intensity, Phase Function, Phase Integral, Single Scattering Albedo
Rees, W. G. Physical Principles of Remote Sensing. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, p. 46, 1990.
Weast, R. C. (Ed.). Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 61st ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, p. E-398, 1981.
© 1996-2007 Eric W. Weisstein