Spectral and diurnal variations in clear sky planetary albedo.

Abstract

We calculate the diurnal cycle of clear sky planetary albedo in the following spectral intervals: 0.2-0.5, 0.5-0.7 and 0.7-4 micrometres. Model results reveal the strong wavelength dependence of planetary albedo. For all surfaces in our model, the planetary albedo decreases from morning to local noon, with the diurnal variations being particularly strong over water surfaces. We describe in detail the spectral and diurnal variations in planetary albedo over many natural surfaces, such as vegetation, snow, sea ice and ocean.-from Authors