Which describes the term "albedo" in relation to climate feedback loops?

Albedo is defined as the measure of a surface's ability to reflect sunlight, which is crucial in understanding climate feedback mechanisms. Surfaces with high albedo, such as ice and snow, reflect a large portion of incoming solar radiation back into space, contributing to a cooling effect. Conversely, darker surfaces, like forests or oceans, have lower albedo and absorb more sunlight, leading to warming.

In the context of climate feedback loops, changes in albedo can significantly influence the Earth's temperature. For instance, as global temperatures rise and polar ice melts, the reflective ice is replaced by darker ocean water or land, which absorbs more sunlight. This process can create a positive feedback loop, where warming leads to more ice melt, further reducing albedo and escalating the rate of warming. Understanding this relationship is key to assessing the impacts of climate change and how different surfaces influence global temperature dynamics.