Forces of Change
Ice and snow reflect about 85–90% of sunlight.  Open ocean water reflects just 10%.
Illustration The M Factory © Smithsonian Institution

Arctic Meltdown

Arctic ice and snow have been shrinking. And that means our planet’s air conditioning system may be in trouble.  Why?

The light color of snow and ice reflects most of the Sun’s energy back into space, rather than being absorbed by the dark color of land and open water. That is one reason the Arctic’s cold is so extreme—and our planet does not overheat

But with less ice cover, the ocean and the land warm up, causing more ice to melt, further warming the planet.