MISR Level 3: Seasonal Global Radiance Summary

Global seasonal summaries of top-of-atmosphere radiance parameters from NASA's MISR instrument. The data provides statistical summaries of Bidirectional Reflectance Factor and spectral albedos, averaged over quarterly seasons and reported on a 0.5-degree geographic grid. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument consists of nine cameras measuring radiance in four spectral bands to monitor trends in aerosols, clouds, and land surface cover.

Use Cases

• Analyze seasonal trends in atmospheric aerosols based on spectral top-of-atmosphere Bidirectional Reflectance Factor.
• Model cloud types and heights based on multi-angle radiance measurements from nine cameras.
• Monitor vegetation canopy structure and land surface cover distribution based on spectral expansive albedos.
• Study the effects of sunlight on Earth's surface using radiance data from four spectral bands (blue, green, red, near-infrared).

Strengths

• Data provides global coverage achieved in nine days by the MISR instrument.
• Product reports on a geographic grid with a resolution of 0.5 degrees by 0.5 degrees.
• Instrument uses nine cameras at view angles of 0, 26.1, 45.6, 60.0, and 70.5 degrees for multi-angle observation.
• Data collection for this product is ongoing, supporting long-term trend monitoring.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Statistical summary of Level 1 radiance parameters from the MISR instrument, averaged over a quarter.

Time Range

Seasonal quarters: winter (Dec-Jan-Feb), spring (Mar-Apr-May), summer (Jun-Jul-Aug), fall (Sep-Oct-Nov).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:37:24.673092; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage.