MODIS/Aqua Calibrated Radiances 5-Min L1B Swath 500m

Seven discrete spectral bands from 0.45 to 2.20 microns provide calibrated at-aperture radiances in geophysical units of W/(m^2 um sr). The data is aggregated to a 500m spatial resolution, with a 2330 km swath width from a 705 km orbit, enabling global coverage every one to two days. Each 5-minute granule contains a scene built from 203 scans sampled 2708 times cross-track, with 288 such granules produced daily.

Use Cases

• Atmospheric correction and cloud detection based on calibrated radiances across visible and infrared bands.
• Land surface temperature retrieval using thermal infrared radiances measured continuously.
• Vegetation index calculation leveraging the co-registered 500m resolution bands in the visible and near-infrared.
• Ocean color analysis utilizing the shortwave infrared and visible radiance measurements.
• Radiative transfer model validation based on the provided quality flags and error estimates.

Strengths

• Provides calibrated radiances in standard geophysical units (W/(m^2 um sr)), enabling quantitative analysis.
• Offers high temporal resolution with global coverage every one to two days from a consistent orbital platform.
• Includes ancillary data such as quality flags and error estimates, supporting data validation and uncertainty quantification.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low; specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided on any platform.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on datagov, requiring users to investigate terms.
• Spatial resolution degrades from 500m at nadir to approximately 1-2.4 km at scan extremes, which may affect analysis uniformity.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Generated from MODIS Level 1A scans of raw radiance from the Aqua satellite's MODIS instrument.

Freshness

2026-04-10 00:56:08.659701

Geography

Global