Albedo is a measure of a surface’s reflectivity — surfaces with low albedo reflect less light than do surfaces with high albedo. This has several implications for combatting phenomena such as the urban heat island effect. “Cool pavements,” those high in albedo, reflect more sunlight into the atmosphere, increasing ambient temperatures less than dark pavements.
News
- What can cities and towns do to lower extreme temperatures? (Ask MIT Climate, July 2023)
- Cool pavement is like sunscreen for streets. Can it take the heat out of concrete cities? (The Globe and Mail, July 2023)
- Extreme heat kills inequitably: Reflective pavements can help, but city action is required. (The Hill, August 2022)
- Q&A: Randolph Kirchain on how cool pavements can mitigate climate change. (MIT News, March 2022)
- Solutions to extreme heat can be found in our streets. (Boston Globe, April 2021)
- Cool pavements research builds as temperatures rise (Smart Cities Dive, September 2021)
- Could ‘cool pavements’ help in the battle against climate change? (Yahoo News, August 2021)
Topic Summaries
- Mitigating Climate Change with Reflective Pavements (November 2020)
- Urban Heat Islands (June 2019)
- Albedo Information Sheet (April 2019)
Research Briefs
- A High-Level Analysis of Context-Dependent Albedo Effects (May 2015)
- Quantifying Climate Impacts of Surface Albedo (July 2015)
- The Impact of Changes to Surface Albedo on Radiative Forcing (January 2016)
- Quantifying the impact of pavement reflectivity on radiative forcing and building energy demand in neighborhoods (March 2017)
- Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Pavement Albedo (January 2018)
Publications
- AzariJafari, Hessam, et al. “Urban-scale evaluation of cool pavement impacts on the urban heat Island effect and climate change.” Environmental Science & Technology 55.17 (2021): 11501-11510.
- Gregory, J., AzariJafari, H., Vahidi, E., Guo, F., Ulm, F.J., Kirchain, R. “The role of concrete in life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of US buildings and pavements.” PNAS. September 14, 2021 118 (37).