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Q103 (IAS/2010) Geography › World Physical Geography › Atmospheric heat balance Answer Verified

Which one of the following reflects back more sunlight as compared to other three?

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: C
Explanation

Albedo is the fraction of incoming solar radiation reflected by a surface. Snow-covered land has the highest albedo of common terrestrial surfaces: fresh snow can reflect roughly 70–90% of incoming sunlight, making it much more reflective than other land covers [1]. Comparative measurements show fresh snow around ~85% albedo, desert sand about ~40%, and vegetated surfaces (such as paddy fields or prairie grassland) substantially lower, typically near ~20–30% [2]. Therefore, among the given choices, land covered with fresh snow reflects back the most sunlight, followed by desert sand and then vegetated lands like paddy or prairie.

Sources

  1. [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 21: Horizontal Distribution of Temperature > Albedo > p. 283
  2. [2] https://srm360.org/infographic/albedo/
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