Land surface albedo dynamics (in “State of the Climate in 2016”)

The land surface albedo represents the fraction of solar radiation scattered backward by land surfaces. In the presence of vegetation, surface albedo result from complex nonlinear radiation transfer processes determining the amount of radiation that is scattered by the vegetation and its background, transmitted through the vegetation layer, or absorbed by the vegetation layer and its background. In 2016, Mid- and high latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere are characterized by both positive and negative anomalies mainly as a consequence of interannual variations in snow cover amount, and duration in winter and spring seasons. Strong negative anomalies are noticeable between 20° and 45°S in 2016, featuring a deviation from average conditions mainly over South America and Australia. Consistent negative anomalies in the visible domain are discernible across midlatitude regions in the Northern Hemisphere in 2016.JRC.D.6-Knowledge for Sustainable Development and Food Securit