Answer: Snow and ice reflect sunlight, thus (along with the atmosphere) they play an important role in preventing the Earth from heating up so much that it cannot support life. Water absorbs solar radiation and holds onto that radiation in the form of heat. Since water is so abundant on the Earth, the slow release of heat from large bodies of water (such as seas) and the large number of much smaller bodies of water (such as lakes) helps moderate temperatures worldwide, keeping global temperatures fairly constant from year to year.Snow and ice slow down the loss of heat from the Earth, particularly frombodies of water. Therefore, snow and ice play an important role in preventing the Earth from losing heat too rapidly, which would cause the Earth to become too cold to support life.