Geographia Polonica (1974) vol. 28

The distribution and annual course of the albedo in Poland

Teresa Kozłowska-Szczęsna

Geographia Polonica (1974) vol. 28, pp. 5-18 | Full text

The purpose of this work is to describe the areal distribution and the changes over time of the albedo in Poland. The reflection of solar radiation from a given sarface is defined by the so-called coefficient of reflection a and depends on the type of surface. The albedo is the integral of the coefficient of reflection integrated according to the wave length within the short wave band (0.3-3.0.JJ,). The altedo is usually expressed as a percentage ratio between the incoming and the reflected radiation. The size of the albedo is influenced by both general climati: factors and local factors. It is not surprising, therefore, that the value of the albedo of a particular surface given in the literature shows wide varia-tions. ?hus they must be taken as approximations, and when comparing or calculating these values one must only select those found under similar geo-graphical and climatic conditions.

Teresa Kozłowska-Szczęsna [klimat@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland