The albedo effect is a measure of how much solar radiation a surface reflects back into space. It is expressed as a fraction or percentage, where an albedo of zero represents a perfectly black surface that absorbs all radiation, and an albedo of one represents a perfectly white surface that reflects all radiation. On Earth, ice and snow have high albedos, often reflecting up to ninety percent of incoming sunlight. In contrast, dark surfaces like the open ocean have low albedos, absorbing the majority of solar energy. This creates a powerful feedback loop in the climate system. As global temperatures rise, sea ice melts, replacing a highly reflective surface with a highly absorptive one. This absorption leads to further warming, which causes more ice to melt, accelerating the cycle. This phenomenon, known as ice-albedo feedback, is one reason the Arctic is warming significantly faster than the global average. Understanding these variations in reflectivity is crucial for climate modeling, as even small changes in surface cover can lead to substantial shifts in the planet's energy balance.