Task: Class Definition Understanding (ontology: Earth_Environment/SWEET)

Which of the following definitions best describes 'albedo'?

A. The extinction coefficient for a particular substance is a measure of how well it scatters and absorbs electromagnetic radiation (EM waves). If the EM wave can pass through very easily, the material has a low extinction coefficient. Conversely, if the radiation hardly penetrates the material, but rather quickly becomes extinct within it, the extinction coefficient is high.
B. The ratio of reflected flux density to incident flux density, referenced to some surface.
C. The effect of (primarily) aerosols, through their total optical depth, in reducing the transmission of direct solar radiation to the surface below that through a purely molecular atmosphere. the concept is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid, or of air, caused by individual particles (suspended solids) that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air.
D. the concept (RCS) describes the extent to which an object reflects an incident electromagnetic wave. It is a measure of the strength of the radar signal backscattered from a target object for a given incident wave power..

Answer: The ratio of reflected flux density to incident flux density, referenced to some surface.