MODIS MCD43C3: Daily Global Albedo and Surface Reflectance at 0.05° Resolution

MCD43C3 Version 6.1 provides daily black-sky and white-sky albedo data for the entire globe at a 0.05-degree Climate Modeling Grid resolution. The dataset is produced by NASA using 16 days of combined Terra and Aqua MODIS satellite data, temporally weighted to the ninth day of the retrieval period. It includes 20 albedo layers for seven spectral bands and three broadbands, plus ancillary layers for quality, snow cover, and uncertainty.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface energy balance and climate feedbacks based on daily black-sky and white-sky albedo values.
• Analyzing seasonal changes in land surface properties using the visible, near infrared, and shortwave broadband albedo layers.
• Assessing data quality for scientific applications using the provided band-specific quality flags.
• Studying snow cover dynamics and their radiative impact using the ancillary snow cover layer.

Strengths

• Provides 20 distinct albedo data layers for spectral and broadband analysis.
• Covers the entire globe on a daily basis using a consistent 0.05-degree grid.
• Incorporates calibration improvements from Version 6.1, including polarization and RVS corrections.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data requires use of quality flags to isolate highest-quality full inversion results, as noted in the user guide.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Produced daily using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS satellite data.

Time Range

Daily temporal coverage, with data weighted to the ninth day of a 16-day retrieval period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:08:06.339083; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage on a 0.05-degree Climate Modeling Grid.