We calculate the radiation-absorbing aerosol quantity in snow with a global chemical and transport atmospheric model, validated with global observations. The perturbation to snow albedo and related climatic impact are assessed. The resulting average radiative flux change in snow is 0.068 W m⁻². Black carbon is a major contributor (+0.033 W m⁻²), followed by dust (+0.012 W m⁻²) and brown carbon (+0.0066 W m⁻²). The impact is also characterized by significant seasonal and geographical variability.