Spectral albedo of snow-covered first-year and multi-year sea ice during spring melt

Surface spectral-albedo data collected over snow-covered first-year and multi-year sea ice under diffuse sky conditions during the springtime transition are examined. Of specific interest is the relationship between changes in the visible and near-infrared albedo of sea ice and concurrent changes in the geophysical characteristics of the ice volume. With the onset of melt conditions, visible and near-infrared sea-ice albedo decreased due to physical changes within the snow and ice volumes. Visible albedo was found to be sensitive to changes occurring throughout the sea-ice volume, while the near-infrared albedo appeared most influenced by near-surface conditions.