In tropical rainforest areas, dense vegetation absorbs radiation giving a ______ albedo.

• A. Low relative albedo
• B. High relative albedo
• C. Moderate relative albedo
• D. No albedo

Answer: (A)

Albedo is the fraction of incoming solar radiation that a surface reflects. In tropical rainforests, the dense canopy and numerous leaves absorb most of the sunlight for photosynthesis and warming, so only a small portion is reflected back. That means the surface has a low albedo relative to other surfaces. You can picture a rainforest as looking dark from above because so much energy is taken in rather than bounced away. Some light is reflected by shiny patches or water, but not enough to make the albedo high. So the surface is best described as having a low relative albedo.