MCD43D29: Daily Global BRDF/Albedo Parameters for Climate Models

Daily global data produced using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS satellite observations at 1,000-meter resolution. The MCD43D29 product provides the volumetric parameter for deriving shortwave broadband albedo, created by NASA for use in climate simulation models. It is part of the Version 6.1 data release, which includes calibration improvements for the period 2012-2017.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface energy balance in climate simulations based on daily shortwave albedo parameters.
• Analyzing land surface radiative properties for climate studies based on the BRDF model parameters.
• Monitoring temporal changes in Earth's reflectivity based on the daily, globally gridded data product.

Strengths

• Data is produced daily with a 16-day temporal weighting, providing regular global coverage.
• Spatial resolution is 30 arc seconds (approximately 1,000 meters) on a Climate Modeling Grid.
• Version 6.1 incorporates specific calibration improvements, including a polarization correction.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

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 is temporally weighted to the ninth day of a 16-day period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:42:45.291546; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Covers the entire globe.