Editing Biogeochemical Feedbacks (section)

=== The Ice-Albedo Feedback ===
The cryosphere dictates the Earth's surface reflectivity (albedo). Brilliant white sea ice and snow reflect up to 90% of incoming shortwave solar radiation. As the planet warms, this ice melts, exposing the dark ocean or terrestrial surfaces below, which have an albedo of less than 20%. These dark surfaces absorb the solar energy, heating the local environment and causing adjacent ice to melt even faster. This positive feedback loop is the primary driver of Arctic amplification, causing the northern polar regions to warm significantly faster than the global average.