GCOS Essential Climate Variables (ECV)

Terrestial/ECV T8 - Albedo

Surface albedo is both a forcing variable controlling the climate and a sensitive indicator of environmental degradation. Albedo varies in space and time as a result of both natural processes (e.g. changes in solar position, snowfall and vegetation growth) and human activities (e.g. clearing and planting forests, sewing and harvesting crops, burning rangeland) (GCOS, 2004). Since albedo depends on both the unique anisotropy of the surface (related to the intrinsic composition and structure of the land cover) and the atmospheric condition at any time, remote sensing offers the only viable method of measuring and monitoring the global heterogeneity of albedo (Schaaf et al. 2006). (from the FAO/GTOS web site)

• ECV T8 Assessment of the Status of the Development of Standards for the Terrestrial Essential Climate Variables
• ECV T8 Standards
• More references

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