Albedo -

A surface with an albedo of would be a perfect reflector, bouncing back all incoming light, while an albedo of 0 would represent a perfectly black surface that absorbs all radiation. In nature, surfaces fall between these extremes:

Something far more dangerous than himself. Albedo

is a measure of the reflectivity of a surface, representing the fraction of incoming solar radiation that is reflected back into space. It is a unitless value ranging from 0 to 1, where 0 indicates a "perfect absorber" that reflects no light, and 1 indicates a "perfect reflector" that absorbs no light. Key Surface Albedo Values A surface with an albedo of would be

Because albedo is a physical property we can change, it has become a target for climate solutions. It is a unitless value ranging from 0

This reflection rate varies wildly depending on the surface material:

Los Angeles, California, famously began coating streets with a cool pavement sealant in 2017. In India, the "Cool Roofs" program aims to protect millions of slum dwellers from lethal heat. This is geoengineering at the local scale—using increased albedo to buy time and save lives.