Tables from:

Brandt, R.E., S.G. Warren, A.P. Worby, and T.C. Grenfell:  Surface Albedo of the Antarctic Sea-ice Zone.  Journal of Climate, Vol. 18, No. 17, pp. 3606-3622,  2005.

Table 1.  Representative allwave solar albedos of surface types in the East Antarctic sea-ice zone in spring and summer.  Values in bold are derived from measurements; all others were interpolated or extrapolated using Figure 5.  The seasons are indicated by SON (September, October, November) and DJF (December, January, February).

ALLWAVE

Ice

Thickness

cm

No Snow

Thin Snow (<3 cm) 

Thick Snow (>3 cm) 

Clear 

Cloudy 

Clear 

Cloudy 

Clear 

Cloudy 

Ice Type 

SON 

DJF 

SON 

DJF 

SON 

DJF 

SON 

DJF 

Open water

0

0.07 

0.07

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Grease

<1

0.09

0.09

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Nilas

<10

0.14

0.16

0.42 

0.39 

0.45 

0.42 

-

-

-

-

Young grey ice

10-15

0.25

0.27

0.55

0.51

0.59

0.56

0.72

0.67

0.76

0.72

Young grey-white ice

15-30

0.32

0.34

0.64

0.59

0.68

0.64

0.76

0.70

0.81

0.76

First-year ice <0.7 m

30-70

0.41

0.45

0.74 

0.69 

0.79 

0.74 

0.81

0.75

0.87

0.82

First-year ice >0.7 m

>70

0.49 

0.54 

0.81 

0.75 

0.87 

0.82 

0.81 

0.75 

0.87 

0.82 

 

Table 2.  Representative albedos of surface types in the East Antarctic sea-ice zone, for AVHRR channels 1 and 2.  Values in bold are derived from measurements; all others were interpolated or extrapolated using the method illustrated in Figure 5

AVHRR

No Snow

Thin Snow  (<3 cm)

Thick Snow  (>3 cm)

(Clear Sky only)

Ch 1

Ch2

Ch 1

Ch 2

Ch 1

Ch 2

Ice Type

SON

DJF

SON

DJF

SON

DJF

SON

DJF

Open water

0.07

0.07

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Grease

0.10

0.08

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Nilas

0.17

0.14

0.49

0.46

0.44

0.39

-

-

-

-

Young grey ice

0.30

0.24

0.64

0.60

0.59

0.52

0.79

0.74

0.78

0.68

Young grey-white ice

0.38

0.28

0.73

0.68

0.68

0.59

0.86

0.81

0.83

0.73

First-year ice <0.7 m

0.47

0.32

0.85

0.80

0.80

0.70

0.96

0.90

0.88

0.77

First-year ice >0.7 m

0.54

0.33

0.93

0.87

0.88

0.77

0.96

0.90

0.88

0.77

 

Table 3.  Representative albedos of surface types in the East Antarctic sea-ice zone in spring, for visible (l<700 nm) and near-infrared (NIR, l>700 nm) bands commonly used in general circulation models (GCMs).  Values in bold are derived from measurements; all others were interpolated or extrapolated using the method illustrated in Figure 5.

GCM Bands

No Snow

Thin Snow  (<3 cm)

Thick Snow  (>3 cm)

VIS

NIR

clear

NIR

cloud

VIS

NIR  clear

NIR  cloud

VIS

NIR  clear

NIR  cloud

Ice Type

SON

DJF

SON

DJF

SON

DJF

SON

DJF

SON

DJF

SON

DJF

Open water

0.07

0.06

0.06

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Grease

0.11

0.06

0.07

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Nilas

0.18

0.11

0.12

0.50

0.47

0.33

0.28

0.36

0.32

-

-

-

-

-

-

Young grey

0.30

0.19

0.21

0.64

0.61

0.44

0.38

0.49

0.44

0.80

0.76

0.60

0.52

0.66

0.59

Young grey-white

0.39

0.23

0.25

0.73

0.69

0.52

0.45

0.57

0.51

0.87

0.82

0.62

0.53

0.68

0.60

First-year, <0.7 m

0.54

0.27

0.29

0.85

0.81

0.60

0.52

0.66

0.59

0.96

0.91

0.65

0.56

0.72

0.64

First-year, >0.7 m

0.67

0.29

0.31

0.94

0.89

0.65

0.56

0.72

0.64

0.96

0.91

0.65

0.56

0.72

0.64