Land surface Albedo dynamics

The land surface albedo is the fraction of solar radiation scattered backward by land surfaces. In the presence of vegetation, surface albedo results 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. 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 cover, amount, and duration of snow in winter and spring seasons. The large negative anomalies over eastern Europe, southern Sweden, western Russia, Caucasus, southwestern Siberia, and northern China are probably associated with a below-average snow cover in winter and early spring seasons, due to the occurrence of relatively high temperatures in some of these regions.JRC.D.6-Knowledge for Sustainable Development and Food Securit