Yes, it's dramatic. I recall Al quoting 90% reflectivity for ice (snow) & 90% absorbance for water. I suppose this was IR.
It amazes me how "tolerant" snow is to direct sunlight. I go out and stand in the sun for 10 miutes and I'm heated up (on a 40 F. degree day w/ no wind), but the snow lasts for days (losing about an inch/day).
In measuring snow we use a 4" diameter tube. A 14" column placed in a pan (at room temp.) will reduce to a 4" column, before it releases any water from the base into the pan.
I think my point here is that snow remains very reflective and insulating until it almost completely disappears. I suppose this does not bode well for our prognosis, because once it starts disappearing, it goes pretty quickly on its own (and even quicker if surrounded by warming water -as you point out).
Had a chemistry teacher, from Vermont, who said the coldest day in the valley was the day the lake melted (endothermic) in the Spring (and warmest day was when the lake froze in Fall).
Maybe the ice has absorbed about as much heat as it can and that's why the planet's warming so dramatically over the past few years.
Hmmmmm....aren't pain pills wonderful (to qualify the above conjecture).
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