Measuring surface albedo for various crops

Surface albedo can affect the energy budget and subsequently cause localized warming or cooling
of the climate. When we convert a substantial portion of lands to agriculture, land surface
properties are consequently altered, including albedo. Through crop selection and management,
one can increase crop albedo to obtain higher levels of localized cooling effects to mitigate global
warming. Still, there is little understanding about how distinctive features of a cropping system
may be responsible for elevated albedo and consequently for the cooling potential of cultivated
lands. To address this pressing issue, we conducted seasonal measurements of surface reflectivity
during five growing seasons on annual crops of corn-soybean–winter wheat