Albedo Effect
Electromagnetic radiation that reaches the earth’s surface can be absorbed or reflected, depending on the nature of the surface.
Dark colored surfaces absorb more of the incoming visible radiation. This is why macadam gets hot on a summer day, while the painted white lines do not. The darkest materials, with lowest albedo, include ocean water, and to a lesser extent plants such as trees.
Bright surfaces with highest albedo such as ice/snow, and to a lesser degree desert sand reflect most incoming radiation. Reflected radiation passes back through the atmosphere and into space without warming the earth.
