Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Eyes on Earth Episode 41 – Albedo

Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we learn how about reflected surface radiation and how satellites track it.

Download and Transcript Access

Color photo of Dr. Crystal Schaaf with the graphic for the USGS EROS podcast Eyes on Earth
Landsat Science Team member Dr. Crystal Schaaf

Summary: Albedo—the amount of incoming solar radiation reflected into space from the Earth’s surface—is a key measurement for surface temperatures and plant productivity. It also factors into weather forecasting and climate modeling. Landsat Science Team member Dr. Crystal Schaaf works with graduate and postdoctoral students to measure albedo using satellite data from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. On this episode of Eyes on Earth, Dr. Schaaf talks about albedo’s importance and how satellites can be used to track changes to it over time.

Guest:  Dr. Crystal Schaaf, University of Massachusetts-Boston

Host: Steve Young

Producer: John Hult

Release date: January 11, 2021

More on Albedo