Albedo is the tendency of a surface to reflect solar energy instead of absorbing it,and snow and ice have a much higher albedo than water.Over the last several decades the amount of the Arctic Ocean that has ice on it has been decreasing,thereby exposing more and more of the Arctic Ocean to the atmosphere each summer.Would this cause the total absorption of heat in the Arctic to increase or decrease?
A) increase
B) decrease

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

As the ice melts, the darker ocean water, which has a lower albedo than ice, is exposed. This leads to more solar energy being absorbed rather than reflected, causing an increase in the total absorption of heat in the Arctic.

Albedo Is the Tendency of a Surface to Reflect Solar