This study investigates the impact of spectrally resolved surface albedo on the total surface albedo. The neglect of albedo variation within the shortwave spectrum may lead to substantial errors as the atmospheric water greatly influences the spectral distribution of the incoming radiation. It is shown that ignoring the spectral dependence of the surface albedo will affect the predicted climate. The study reveals substantial changes in the climate over northern Africa when modifying the surface albedo of the Sahara deserts. Detailed information is given how the European Center/Hamburg General Circulation Model (ECHAM4) can be extended to include surface boundary conditions for both the visible and near-infrared incoming radiation. This comprises global climatologies for both the visible and near-infrared albedo for snow-free conditions, as well as the corresponding albedo values over snow, land-/sea ice and over snow covered forests. Comparisons between several available surface albedo climatologies and a newly compiled albedo data set show substantial scatter in estimated albedos. The largest albedo differences are found in snow covered forest regions as well as in arid and semi-arid terrains.