MCD43D26: Global Daily NIR BRDF/Albedo Parameters for Climate Models

Global daily data for the volumetric parameter of the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) and Albedo for the Near-Infrared (NIR) broadband. The dataset is produced by NASA using 16 days of combined Terra and Aqua MODIS satellite data at a 1,000-meter resolution, temporally weighted to the ninth day. It is part of the Version 6.1 Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) product suite intended for climate simulation models.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface albedo for climate simulations based on the BRDF parameters.
• Analyzing land surface changes over time based on daily, globally produced NIR reflectance data.
• Integrating volumetric BRDF parameters with isotropic and geometric parameters to derive full BRDF/Albedo values.
• Assessing data quality for science applications using the band-specific quality flags mentioned in the user guide.

Strengths

• Daily global coverage at a consistent 1,000-meter (30 arc second) spatial resolution.
• Version 6.1 incorporates specific calibration improvements, including RVS, optical crosstalk, and polarization corrections.
• Data is produced using a 16-day temporal window from two MODIS sensors (Terra and Aqua) for stability.

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-parameter analysis.
• Users must apply quality flags to isolate the highest quality results, adding a processing step.

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; temporal weighting to the ninth day of a 16-day window.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:24:55.236291; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Entire globe.