What controls planetary albedo and its interannual variability?
Xin Qu, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA; and A. Hall The ISCCP D-series cloud and flux datasets were used to determine what controls planetary albedo and its interannual variability. Based on an idealized radiative transfer model, climatological planetary albedo is broken down into two components: atmospheric albedo and effective surface albedo. Atmospheric albedo accounts for more than 75% of planetary albedo in all regions except Antarctica, while effective surface albedo accounts for less than 25%. This can be attributed to relatively small surface albedo and the damping effect of the atmosphere on the surface contribution. The observed poleward increase in climatological planetary albedo was also examined. Atmospheric albedo and effective surface albedo contribute approximately equally to this increase in the northern hemisphere. The contribution of effective surface albedo, however, is three times larger than the contribution of atmosperic alb
