Have you ever stepped outside on a hot day in a black T-Shirt and felt hotter than if you were in a white one? That is due to albedo. Albedo, translated into "whiteness" in Latin, is a term used to measure reflectivity. This is usually used on Earth to explain how surfaces reflect sunlight in order to cool down the planet, two of the most extensive surfaces that do this are snow and ice. White surfaces reflect light much more than darker surfaces. Therefore, when black carbon lands on snow and ice, less sunlight is reflected back into space. This causes the snow and ice to absorb more heat and melt much faster than they would if they were lighter in colour, meaning less reflection of sunlight is happening, causing even more melting and rising sea levels.