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Data Sources |
ECV Products and Requirements |
Albedo
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The land surface albedo is the ratio of the radiant flux reflected from Earth’s surface to the incident flux. It is a key forcing parameter controlling the partitioning of radiative energy between the atmospheric and surface. In the case of vegetation, a reference surface is typically defined at or near the top of the canopy and must be specified explicitly. Surface albedo depends on natural variations, highly variable in space and time as a result of terrestrial properties changes, and with illumination conditions and human activities and is a sensitive indicator of environmental vulnerability. | |
| Domain: | Terrestrial | |
| Subdomain: | Biology | |
| Scientific Area: | Energy | |
| ECV Steward: | Nadine Gobron | |
| Products: | Maps of directional hemispherical reflectance (DHR) albedo for adaptation; Maps of bi-hemispherical reflectance (BHR) albedo for adaptation; Maps of DHR albedo for modelling; Maps of BHR albedo for modelling | |
Global Land Cover
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Figure: Trend of Albedo in March from 2000 to 2018. Significant slopes in [% year -1] MCD43C3 (WSA-Shortwave). |
