Which one of the following reflects back more sunlight as compared to other three?
- ASand desert
- BPaddy crop land
- CLand covered with fresh snowCorrect
- DPrairie land
Explanation
The correct answer is C because of a phenomenon called the albedo effect. Albedo is the measure of how much solar radiation a surface reflects back into space.
Fresh snow has the highest albedo of all the surfaces listed, reflecting about 80 to 90 percent of the sunlight that hits it. This is because its bright, white, and smooth surface acts like a mirror.
In contrast, sand deserts reflect about 30 to 40 percent, while vegetated areas like paddy crop lands and prairie lands have much lower reflection rates, typically between 10 and 25 percent, because plants absorb most of the sunlight for photosynthesis. Therefore, land covered with fresh snow reflects significantly more sunlight than the other three options.
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