Analysis of the Impact of Radiation and Albedo on Variations in Earth's Surface Temperature

Dwi Ayu Nurfaizah; Eka Dahliani; Mutya Ardha Widyaputri

doi:10.31851/jupiter.v7i1.18574

Authors

Dwi Ayu Nurfaizah Pendidikan Sains Fakultas Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
Eka Dahliani Pendidikan Sains Fakultas Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
Mutya Ardha Widyaputri Pendidikan Sains Fakultas Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31851/jupiter.v7i1.18574

Keywords:

Albedo, Earth's surface, Radiation Solar Radiation, Heat Transfer, Energy Balance

Abstract

Solar radiation reaching the Earth is partially absorbed by the surface and partially reflected back into the atmosphere as shortwave and longwave radiation. This study aims to analyze the impact of radiation and albedo on variations in Earth’s surface temperature. The experimental procedure involved exposing different surface types—soil, water, and rock—to light for 20 minutes and then observing their behavior without light for another 20 minutes. The results indicate that low-albedo surfaces absorb more radiation, leading to a temperature increase of 3°C, from 26°C to 29°C. Medium-albedo surfaces, such as rock, experienced a similar temperature rise of 3°C (from 28°C to 31°C), whereas high-albedo surfaces, such as water, showed only a 1°C increase (from 27°C to 28°C). These findings highlight the significant role of albedo in regulating surface temperature fluctuations. Surfaces in high-albedo areas tend to cool more rapidly than those in low-albedo regions. This demonstrates that albedo directly influences radiation absorption and temperature change, making it an effective instructional example for understanding physical concepts such as heat transfer and energy balance at the Earth’s surface.

References

Cory, J. (2009). Electric power generation on mars using photovoltaic helium balloons. In Mars: Prospective Energy and Material Resources (pp. 83–97). Israel Institute of Technology, Technion, Haifa, Israel: Springer.

Dai, H. (2021). Roles of Surface Albedo, Surface Temperature and Carbon Dioxide in the Seasonal Variation of Arctic Amplification. Geophysical Research Letters, 48(4). https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090301

Dance, D., & Carlsson, G. A. (2007). Interactions of photons with matter. In Handbook of Radiotherapy Physics: Theory and Practice (pp. 57–74). London, United Kingdom: CRC Press.

Du, J., Jacinthe, P. A., Song, K., & Zhou, H. (2023). Water surface albedo and its driving factors on the turbid lakes of Northeast China. Ecological Indicators, 146 (109905). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.109905

Dwivedi, R. S. (2017). Spectral Reflectance of Soils BT - Remote Sensing of Soils (D. Ravi Shankar, ed.). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer.

Garrido, M. E., Martínez-Ibáñez, V., Signes, C. H., Company, J., & Tomás, R. (2020). Temperature threshold of sedimentary rocks: A comparative study. ISRM International Symposium - EUROCK 2020. Departamento de Ingeniería del Terreno, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain: International Society for Rock Mechanics.

Gasoyan, M. S., Panin, M. I., & Tyutneva, G. K. (1976). Coefficients of reflection of rocks for optical radiation. Soviet Mining, 12(2), 221–224. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02497736

Hall, K., Lindgren, B. S., & Jackson, P. (2005). Rock albedo and monitoring of thermal conditions in respect of weathering: Some expected and some unexpected results. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 30(7), 801–811. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1189

Halliday, D., Resnick, R., & Walker, J. (2014). Fundamentals of Physics Extended, 10th Edition. New York: Wiley.

Hogikyan, A., Cronin, M. F., Zhang, D., & Kato, S. (2020). Uncertainty in Net Surface Heat Flux due to Differences in Commonly Used Albedo Products. Journal of Climate, 33(1), 303–315. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0448.1

Kamal Hossain, M., & Haider, M. R. (2023). Electromagnetic Fields and Radiation. In An Introduction to Non-Ionizing Radiation (pp. 38–61). Bentham Science Publishers. https://doi.org/10.2174/9789815136890123010007

Khan, A., Murshid Raza, S. M., & Ali, S. (2025). Applicability of sunspot activity on the climatic conditions of Gilgit-Baltistan region using fractal dimension rescaling method. Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization and Environmental Effects, 47(1), 4640–4651. https://doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2021.1876794

Laksmiyanti, D. P. E., Nilasari, P. F., & Hendra, F. H. (2020). Desain Tanggap Iklim. Surabaya: CV. Pilar Edukasi.

Lei, C., Chen, J., Ibáñez, I., Sciusco, P., Shirkey, G., Lei, M., Robertson, G. P. (2024). Albedo of crops as a nature-based climate solution to global warming. Environmental Research Letters, 19(8), 084032. https://doi.org/10.1088/17489326/ad5fa2

Mauri, R. (2023). Radiant Heat Transfer, Transport Phenomena in Multiphase Flows. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer.

Oduor, P., Menon, V., Omair, Z., Choi, K.-K., & Dutta, A. K. (2023). Broadband Omnidirectional Antireflection (AR) Coating based on Inverse Transfer Design Towards High Efficiency Photovoltaic Cells. In D. N.C. (Ed.), Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering (Vol. 12513). Banpil Photonics, Inc, Santa Clara, 95054, CA, United States: SPIE.

Qin, Y., Tan, K., Liang, J., Li, Y., & Li, F. (2016). Experimental study on the solar reflectance of crushed rock layer with different sizes. Environmental Earth Sciences, 75(9).https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5609-2

Sanchez, S. A., Quiroz, M. A., Sierra, L. R., Morales, A. D., & Palencia, J. M. (2020). Design of a library using Matlab software for modeling and simulation of parabolic cylindrical solar collectors (CCP). In S. J.R.C. (Ed.), IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 844). Corporación Universitaria Antonio José de Sucre, Sincelejo, Faculty of Engineering Science, GINTEING Research Group, Colombia: Institute of Physics Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/844/1/012023

Seidlitz, H. K., Thiel, S., Krins, A., & Mayer, H. (2001). Solar radiation at the Earth’s surface. Giacomoni (Ed.), Sun Protection in Man (Vol. 3, pp. 705–738). Amsterdam, Belanda: Elsevier.

Sirojiddin Fayazovich, E., Abror Kahorovich, T., & Muhayo Djamoldinovna, T. (2024). Assessment of Absorption-Radiation Characteristics of an Ideal Selective Surface. Austrian Journal of Technical and Natural Sciences, 45–51.https://doi.org/10.29013/AJT-23-11.12-45-51

Sledd, A., & L’Ecuyer, T. (2019). How Much Do Clouds Mask the Impacts of Arctic Sea Ice and Snow Cover Variations? Different Perspectives from Observations and Reanalyses. Atmosphere, 10(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10010012

Stephens, M. S., Yung, C., Tomlin, N., Harber, D., Straatsma, C., Dan, A., Lehman, J. H. (2022). Extremely broadband calibrated bolometers and microbolometer arrays for Earth radiation budget measurements. In A. K. Sood, P. Wijewarnasuriya, & A. I. D’Souza (Eds.), Infrared Sensors, Devices, and Applications XII (p. 9). SPIE. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2633044

Swift, L. (2018). A New Radiative Model Derived from Solar Insolation, Albedo, and Bulk Atmospheric Emissivity: Application to Earth and Other Planets. Climate, 6(2), 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli6020052

Tulandi, D. (2022). Fisika Modern. Malang: Media Nusa Creative (MNC Publishing).

Wu, J., Pallé, E., Guo, H., & Ding, Y. (2023). Long-term trends in albedo as seen from a lunar observatory. Advances in Space Research, 72(6), 2109–2117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2023.06.028

Xia, Y., Gao, W., & Gao, C. (2022). A Review on Graphene‐Based Electromagnetic Functional Materials: Electromagnetic Wave Shielding and Absorption. Advanced Functional Materials, 32(42). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202204591

Xu, X., Gregory, J., & Kirchain, R. (2015). The impact of surface albedo on climate and building energy consumption: review and comparative analysis. The Transportation Research Board 95 th 32 Annual Meeting Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1–16.

Xu, X., Gregory, J., & Kirchain, R. (2018). The Impact of Pavement Albedo on Radiative Forcing and Building Energy Demand: Comparative Analysis of Urban Neighborhoods. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2672(40), 88–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198118794996

Zhukov, V. S. (2021). Changes in elastic properties of oil and gas reservoirs at temperature increase. Geophysical Research, 22(2), 62–81. https://doi.org/10.21455/GR2021.2-4