Ice-albedo feedback
= Ice-albedo feedback
{wiki=Ice–albedo_feedback}
Replacing bright ice or snow with darker water or ground decreases <surface albedo>, increases absorbed sunlight and can cause further melting. Locally the extra absorbed <heat flux> is $(\alpha_{\rm ice}-\alpha_{\rm water})S_\downarrow$ on the newly exposed surface. The effect depends on season, cloud cover and incident sunlight.