BetaBetaDataset
To provide data on the ratio of light that a surface reflects compared to the total incoming sunlight
When sunlight reaches the Earth’s surface, some of it is absorbed and some is reflected. The relative amount (ratio) of light that a surface reflects compared to the total sunlight that falls on it is called albedo
Dataset shows albedo on a scale from 0 (no incoming sunlight being reflected) to 0.9 (nearly all incoming light being reflected). Darker blue colors show that the surface is not reflecting much light, paler blues indicate higher proportions of incoming light are being reflected and black areas show areas with no data. Ice caps, glaciers, deserts and snow-covered ground have a high a albedo, while forests have a low albedo.
Albedo is measured by the MODIS sensors on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites.