MCD43D43: Daily Global Black-Sky Albedo at 1km Resolution

Daily global black-sky albedo (directional hemispherical reflectance) data for MODIS band 2, produced by NASA using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS observations. The dataset is temporally weighted to the ninth day of the 16-day period and is provided at a 30 arc second (approximately 1,000 meter) resolution on a Climate Modeling Grid. Users are urged to consult the provided user guide and quality assessment website for application guidance and known issues.

Use Cases

• Modeling land surface energy balance based on black-sky albedo values.
• Analyzing seasonal changes in surface reflectance for climate studies.
• Incorporating directional hemispherical reflectance data into climate simulation models.
• Isolating high-quality albedo results for specific science applications using the band-specific quality flags mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Daily production using data from two satellite platforms (Terra and Aqua MODIS).
• Global coverage at a consistent 30 arc second (1km) resolution.
• Version 6.1 includes specific calibration improvements for reflectance and infrared bands as detailed in the description.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Each product file contains just one data layer, which may complicate multi-band analysis.
• Data may reflect temporal weighting and sensor-specific biases inherent to the MODIS platform.

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 coverage, temporally weighted to the ninth day of a 16-day composite period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:27:04.830355; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global