Nature World: Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean reflects sunlight, and therefore has a cooling effect on the Earth. However, the recent retreat of sea ice has been underestimated, according to a new study, and the Earth's albedo, or reflectivity, is decreasing at a faster rate than previously thought.
The study was conducted by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, using data from the Cloud's and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) aboard several NASA satellites....