MCD43D42: Daily Global Black-Sky Albedo for MODIS Band 1 at 1km Resolution

MCD43D42 Version 6 was decommissioned on July 31, 2023, with users directed to the updated Version 6.1. This NASA product provides daily black-sky albedo for MODIS band 1, generated from 16 days of Terra and Aqua satellite observations at a 30 arc-second (1km) global resolution. Data are temporally weighted to the ninth day of the 16-day period for use in climate simulation models.

Use Cases

• Calibrating and validating climate simulation models based on the Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) product.
• Analyzing land surface radiative properties based on daily black-sky albedo data.
• Studying temporal changes in surface reflectance using data weighted to a specific ninth day within a 16-day window.
• Isolating high-quality data for scientific applications using the band-specific quality flags mentioned in the user guide.

Strengths

• Provides global coverage at a consistent 30 arc-second (approximately 1km) spatial resolution.
• Data are produced daily using 16 days of observations from two MODIS sensors (Terra and Aqua).
• Includes known issue documentation and user guidance for quality assessment.

Limitations

• This specific Version 6 product has been decommissioned; users are urged to use the corrected Version 6.1.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• The dataset description notes known issues in Collection 6, particularly over arid bright surfaces, impacting substantive use.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Produced daily using 16 days of Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data.

Time Range

Daily production; data are temporally weighted to the ninth day of a 16-day period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:07:46.784682; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global