Half portion of a rectangular piece of ice is wrapped with a white piece of cloth while the other half with a black one. In this context, which one among the following statements is correct?

The melting of ice under different colored wraps is primarily governed by the principles of albedo and radiation absorption. Albedo is the measure of a surface's ability to reflect sunlight; white surfaces have a high albedo (close to 1), meaning they reflect most incident radiation and absorb very little [2]. Conversely, black surfaces have a low albedo (close to 0), making them excellent absorbers of solar energy [2]. When ice is wrapped in a black cloth, the cloth absorbs the majority of the incoming thermal radiation and transfers this heat to the ice, causing it to melt more easily [1]. In contrast, a white cloth reflects most of the heat away, keeping the ice underneath cooler for a longer duration [2]. Therefore, ice melts faster under a black wrap than under a white one due to the higher rate of heat absorption by darker colors.

Sources

1. [2] https://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/lesson-plans/changing-albedo-lab
2. [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 21: Horizontal Distribution of Temperature > 21. Horizontal Distribution of Temperature > p. 285