Which future of the Earth would reflect the greatest amount of incoming sunlight?
a) sea ice
b) ice covered by snow
c) dark ocean water
d) light ocean water
c) dark ocean water
The future of the Earth that would reflect the greatest amount of incoming sunlight would be:
d) light ocean water.
This is because light-colored or light-reflecting surfaces, such as light ocean water, tend to reflect a larger portion of incoming sunlight back into space. Dark ocean water, on the other hand, absorbs more sunlight, which leads to warming of the water. Sea ice and ice covered by snow also reflect a significant amount of sunlight, but not as much as light ocean water.
To determine which future of the Earth would reflect the greatest amount of incoming sunlight, we need to consider the albedo (reflectivity) of different surfaces. The higher the albedo, the more sunlight is reflected back into space.
a) Sea ice: Sea ice has a high albedo because it is composed of frozen water, which is highly reflective. When sunlight hits sea ice, most of it is reflected back.
b) Ice covered by snow: Ice covered by snow also has a high albedo. Snow is composed of ice crystals, which are highly reflective. When sunlight hits ice covered by snow, the majority of the sunlight is reflected.
c) Dark ocean water: Dark ocean water has a low albedo. The darker the surface, the lower its reflectivity. When sunlight hits dark ocean water, it is absorbed rather than being reflected, which leads to warming.
d) Light ocean water: Light ocean water has a relatively higher albedo compared to dark ocean water. Light-colored surfaces reflect more sunlight than dark surfaces. However, it still has a lower albedo compared to sea ice and ice covered by snow.
Therefore, the option that would reflect the greatest amount of incoming sunlight would be either a) sea ice or b) ice covered by snow. These surfaces have the highest albedo and reflect most of the sunlight back into space.