Albedos for 300-2500nm for thin sea ice covered with frost flowers, nilas, snow, and slush collected during SIPEX II

An Analytical Spectral Device (ASD) spectrophotometer records the amount of radiation impingent on a cosine collector, which contains a spectralon diffuser plate. The radiation that hits the diffuser plate is scattered equally in all directions (isotropically).

A portion of the radiation incident on the plate is scattered in the direction of a fiber optic cable, which is connected to the ASD. The ASD separates the incoming radiation into 3-10 nm wavelength bins, thus creating a radiation spectrum spanning 300-2500 nm. The cosine collector can be oriented both upwards towards the sky and downward towards the snow and/or sea ice to measure the spectral signature of both the downwelling (from the sky) and upwelling (from the snow/ice) radiation.