The percentage of incoming light reflected from Earth's surface is called the albedo. The more light a surface reflects, the higher its albedo.

  !   Move your cursor over the color scale at the right to highlight areas of Earth that have high, medium, and low albedo.

3. For each of the three areas highlighted in the image, describe common land cover you would expect to find there. Note how it affects albedo.

4. Compare global albedo values to global temperature patterns. Describe any pattern you observe. Click Step 1 below to refer back to the global temperature image.