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Perhaps however white roofs or roads etc would increase the amount of heat reflected back into space, as per the shrinking ice caps.
by Gupie 17y ago
Perhaps however white roofs or roads etc would increase the amount of heat reflected back into space, as per the shrinking ice caps.
- olefoo 17y agoEven if we made every roof and every road a pure titanium white, it wouldn't make up for more than a fraction of the albedo change caused by the shrinking of the ice caps. In the US roads cover less than 3% of the surface and all artificial structures together cover less than 10% of the surface.
- yummyfajitas 17y agoThe relevant quantity is not albedo x area. The relevant quantity is energy reflected = albedo x area x energy deposition. Energy deposition is low near the poles. That's why they are cold.
- olefoo 17y agoYes, and surface albedo is only one of many factors affecting the global heat budget. Dr. Schneider's site is a reasonably good point to start understanding the complexities of climate change. http://stephenschneider.stanford.edu/index.html http://stephenschneider.stanford.edu/index.html