Glaciers Are White, Oceans Are Blue, the Earth Is Warming, and So Are You!
Abstract This chapter discusses the critical role glaciers play in reflecting solar heat back into space and how the melting of glaciers reveals darker land and water surfaces that leads to surface heat absorption and global warming. The chapter gets into the dynamics of albedo and surface heat, exp...
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| Format: | Book Part |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford University PressNew York
2021
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190080327.003.0005 https://academic.oup.com/book/chapter-pdf/57935866/oso-9780190080327-chapter-5.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract This chapter discusses the critical role glaciers play in reflecting solar heat back into space and how the melting of glaciers reveals darker land and water surfaces that leads to surface heat absorption and global warming. The chapter gets into the dynamics of albedo and surface heat, explaining the causes of color change on glaciers, such as soot and volcanic ash deposits. It reviews the significant albedo contributions of glacier and sea-ice covered surfaces of the Arctic, Greenland, and Antarctica and discusses the urban heat island effect in cities as an analogy to glacier surface warming due to darkening. The chapter also examines geological history and anthropogenic causes of glacier surface albedo changes, such as the industrial revolution. |
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