Question

Which substance has a high albedo?

A.) Liquid Water
B.) White Sand
C.) Dark Rock
D.) Rich Soil

Answer 1

The correct answer is B.) White Sand

Step-by-step explanation:

The term "albedo" is used to describe the amount of radiation a surface reflects, this is also related to how fast a surface increases its temperature. In general terms, the lighter the surface is the most albedo it has as dark/black bodies absorb all radiation. For example, white snow has an albedo of 80% while dark wet soil has radiation of 10%; also, in the case of water, this has a low albedo (around 10%). According to this, the substance that has a high albedo is white sand as this is a light surface and therefore it is expected it reflects most of the radiation it receives, around 50% (or even more) albedo.

Answer 2

Which substance has a high albedo? B) White Sand

Step-by-step explanation:

The albedo is the amount of energy that is reflected by a surface. It is determined by the refletivity of that surface. Albedo can range from 0 (no reflection) to a value of 1 (100% reflection). Generally, dark surfaces have a low albedo and light surfaces have a high albedo. Liquid water is considered to have a low albedo, like dark rock and rich soil.