Incoming sunlightSunlight arriving at the surface. Each surface gets the same amount here.
Reflected sunlightSunlight a surface bounces back toward space.
Absorbed sunlightSunlight a surface takes in. It becomes heat.
Fresh snow (high albedo)Fresh snow reflects most sunlight that falls on it.
Sea ice (high albedo)Sea ice, being almost white, reflects most sunlight.
Open ocean (low albedo)Open ocean is dark. It absorbs most sunlight and reflects little.
Forest (low albedo)A forest is dark. It absorbs most sunlight that falls on it.
The ice-albedo feedback loop 4
WarmingThe surface gets warmer. This starts the loop and ends it.
Ice meltsWarming melts snow and ice.
Darker surface exposedWith the ice gone, darker water or land shows.
More sunlight absorbedThe darker surface absorbs more sunlight, which warms it further.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01 in two independent sources. (1) UCAR Center for Science Education, Albedo and Climate, https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/how-climate-works/albedo-and-climate (albedo; sunlight reflected and absorbed; forests about 15 percent, fresh snow up to 90 percent; the ice-albedo feedback: snow and ice melt, darker surfaces are exposed, less is reflected, the planet warms more). (2) UCAR Center for Science Education, The Sun and Earth's Energy Budget, https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/how-climate-works/energy-budget (ocean and forests reflect very little; snow and ice reflect almost all). (3) NASA Earth Observatory, Measuring Earth's Albedo, https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/84499/measuring-earths-albedo (energy reflected and absorbed; an Earth covered in ice or in forest). (4) National Snow and Ice Data Center, Why Sea Ice Matters, https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/sea-ice/why-sea-ice-matters (sea ice is nearly white and has a high albedo; its melting lets more heat in, and that melts more ice). (5) Wikipedia, Albedo, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albedo (fresh snow, open ocean, forests). (6) Wikipedia, Ice-albedo feedback, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice%E2%80%93albedo_feedback. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry. Own original drawing; nothing is traced or copied. Licence: own work
How it works
This albedo effect diagram puts the same sunlight on four surfaces. The width of each arrow shows how much that surface reflects and how much it absorbs.
Read the full guide
High and low albedo
Albedo is the share of sunlight a surface reflects. Pale surfaces such as fresh snow and sea ice have a high albedo and send most sunlight back toward space. Dark surfaces such as open ocean and forest have a low albedo: they absorb most of it, and it becomes heat.
The feedback loop
When warming melts snow and ice, a darker surface is exposed. It absorbs more sunlight, which warms it further, and more ice melts. Scientists call this the ice-albedo feedback.
Questions and answers
What is the albedo effect?
Albedo is the amount of sunlight a surface reflects. Pale surfaces reflect much of the sunlight that hits them and stay cooler; dark surfaces absorb most of it and warm up.
Which surfaces have the highest and lowest albedo?
Fresh snow is among the highest: it can reflect about 90 percent of sunlight. Open ocean is among the lowest, at under 10 percent. Forests reflect about 15 percent.
What is Earth's albedo?
About 0.3. Averaged over all its surfaces and clouds, the planet reflects roughly a third of the sunlight that reaches it and absorbs the rest.
How do I draw and label a diagram to explain the albedo effect?
Draw a pale surface and a dark one under equal arrows of sunlight. Give the pale one a wide reflected arrow and the dark one a wide absorbed arrow, then label incoming, reflected and absorbed sunlight.