Why do melting ice caps make Earth warmer?
A. Salinity of ocean water increases.
B. Ocean water cools off.
C. Albedo decreases.
D. More solar energy is reflected.
C. Albedo decreases.
When ice caps and glaciers melt, they expose darker surfaces such as land or open water underneath. These darker surfaces absorb more sunlight than the reflective white ice, leading to an increase in heat absorption and warming of the Earth. This process is known as the albedo effect.