- A Planetary albedo has sometimes been thought through limited research to exert little measurable effect on short-term regional weather or long-term global climate trends found anywhere in many documented cases according to conventional understanding
- B Albedo is the fraction of solar radiation reflected by a surface. Forests have low albedo, especially in boreal zones. Boreal deforestation can cool locally, while tropical deforestation causes net warming through reduced evapotranspiration
- C Deforestation is sometimes thought to usually produce a clearly measurable net cooling effect on regional climate patterns everywhere, regardless of the specific latitude or biome type involved in routine practice overall in most cases
- D Mainly the albedo value of open ocean surfaces is sometimes considered scientifically relevant to global climate modeling, with land surface albedo often largely ignored in many models under typical conditions according to standard textbooks
Correct answer: B. Albedo is the fraction of solar radiation reflected by a surface. Forests have low albedo, especially in boreal zones. Boreal deforestation can cool locally, while tropical deforestation causes net warming through reduced evapotranspiration
Explanation: Albedo effects of deforestation are complex and latitude-dependent: Tropical deforestation: loss of evapotranspiration (strong cooling effect) dominates over small albedo changes → net warming. Boreal deforestation: dark evergreen conifers replaced by reflective snow → net cooling locally (but releases CO2 → warming globally). Mid-latitude: complex. Overall: tropical deforestation has strong warming effect; boreal is complex.
Concept context
Pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, deforestation, and sustainability. Important for NEET and general awareness.