Albedo is the light energy that spreads across a surface through reflection and incident energy.
Albedo is the relationship between the light energy diffused by a surface through reflection and the incident energy . The concept, which comes from a Latin word translatable as "whiteness ", is used in the field of physics .
In other words, albedo reveals what level of radiation a surface reflects compared to the total radiation it receives. The albedo is therefore indicated in percentage terms.
The albedo of the Earth
According to specialists, planet Earth has an average albedo close to 38% with respect to solar radiation. On light surfaces, the albedo is higher than on darker surfaces.
While snow has an albedo of 86% (that is, it reflects 86% of the light it receives), deserts are around 21% , forests reach 8% and seas barely reach 5%. and 10% . This means that a snow-covered surface reflects much more light than an ocean.
High and low levels
When the albedo is high, the temperature on the planet tends to decrease because the sun's radiation, for the most part, is not absorbed, but reflected. On the other hand, if the albedo is low, the planet warms: the percentage of solar radiation that the surface absorbs is very high.
A curiosity regarding this effect that we are addressing occurs in the lands of Andalusia . Specifically, in them, since time immemorial, it has been traditional for the facades of the houses to be painted white . And that is because, in this way, the albedo is high, thus reflecting light and regulating heat, especially in summer when temperatures are very high.
That is to say, it is a way to ensure that inside Andalusian homes you can enjoy a little more freshness than on the street.
A sector of the mesocarp of fruits is called albedo.
Albedo in botany and gastronomy
Other uses of the notion of albedo are found in botany (this is what a certain sector of the mesocarp of fruits is called) and in alchemy (albedo is one of the stages of transmutation that allows a substance to be converted into gold).
Within the field of gastronomy, the term albedo is also used. In this case, when it is used it is to name the white and bitter part that certain citrus fruits have, such as oranges, limes or grapefruit. It is a part that, although it is generally discarded, in recent times it has begun to be considered very useful for shaping all types of dishes, recipes and even drinks.
We find a good example of this in a recipe by the well-known and internationally famous Catalan chef Ferrá Adriá: espardeñas with albedo puree .