Bibcode
Palle, E.; Goode, P. R.; Montañés-Rodríguez, P.; Shumko, A.; Gonzalez-Merino, B.; Martinez Lombilla, C.; Jimenez-Ibarra, F.; Shumko, S.; Sanroma, E.; Hulist, A.; Miles-Paez, P.; Murgas, F.; Nowak, G.; Koonin, S. E.
Bibliographical reference
Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 43, Issue 9, pp. 4531-4538
Advertised on:
5
2016
Journal
Citations
10
Refereed citations
9
Description
The Earth's albedo is a fundamental climate parameter for understanding
the radiation budget of the atmosphere. It has been traditionally
measured not only from space platforms but also from the ground for 16
years from Big Bear Solar Observatory by observing the Moon. The
photometric ratio of the dark (earthshine) to the bright (moonshine)
sides of the Moon is used to determine nightly anomalies in the
terrestrial albedo, with the aim of quantifying sustained monthly,
annual, and/or decadal changes. We find two modest decadal scale cycles
in the albedo, but with no significant net change over the 16 years of
accumulated data. Within the evolution of the two cycles, we find
periods of sustained annual increases, followed by comparable sustained
decreases in albedo. The evolution of the earthshine albedo is in
remarkable agreement with that from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant
Energy System instruments, although each method measures different
slices of the Earth's Bond albedo.