MCD43D27: Daily Global NIR BRDF/Albedo Parameters for Climate Models

Global daily Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) and Albedo model parameters for the Near-Infrared (NIR) broadband, produced by NASA using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS satellite data. The data is temporally weighted to the ninth day of the 16-day period and provided at a 30 arc second (approximately 1,000 meter) resolution on a Climate Modeling Grid (CMG). The MCD43D27 Version 6 product was decommissioned on July 31, 2023, with users directed to the updated Version 6.1.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface albedo for climate simulations based on the provided BRDF geometric parameter.
• Analyzing land surface radiative properties over time based on daily, globally gridded data.
• Integrating NIR broadband reflectance data into Earth system models based on the Climate Modeling Grid format.
• Assessing data quality for scientific applications based on the band-specific quality flags mentioned in the user guide.

Strengths

• Provides a single, focused data layer (the geometric parameter) for the NIR broadband, as noted in the description.
• Data is produced daily using a 16-day observation window, offering a temporally smoothed product.
• Covers the entire globe on a Climate Modeling Grid designed for climate simulation models.
• Corrections for known issues, such as aerosol representation, were implemented in the subsequent Collection 6.1 reprocessing.

Limitations

• The described Version 6 product is decommissioned; users are urged to use the newer Version 6.1.
• Known issues in Collection 6, particularly over arid bright surfaces, suggest users should avoid substantive use of this version.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Produced daily from 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 23:41:25.760363; freshness should be verified as the specific dataset version is deprecated.

Geography

Global coverage on a Climate Modeling Grid (CMG).