MCD43C2: Daily Global BRDF/Albedo Model Parameters for Climate Modeling

MCD43C2 Version 6.1 provides daily, global estimates of three Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model parameters derived from 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS observations. The dataset includes 30 parameter layers for seven spectral bands plus visible, NIR, and shortwave bands, alongside ancillary quality and uncertainty layers. These snow-free model parameters are produced on a 0.05-degree Climate Modeling Grid to support climate simulation and land surface studies.

Use Cases

• Calibrating land surface albedo in climate models based on the provided isotropic, volumetric, and geometric model parameters.
• Assessing surface anisotropy for radiative transfer studies using the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) parameters.
• Filtering data quality for time-series analysis by applying the band-specific quality flags described in the user guide.
• Studying seasonal and interannual changes in land surface properties using the daily, globally gridded data product.

Strengths

• Provides global coverage on a consistent 0.05-degree Climate Modeling Grid (CMG), suitable for climate simulations.
• Includes 30 specific parameter layers plus ancillary data for quality, uncertainty, and solar geometry.
• Represents a Version 6.1 product with documented calibration improvements for Terra and Aqua MODIS data from 2012-2017.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided across any source platform.
• The dataset relies on a 16-day composite weighted to the ninth day, which may smooth out rapid surface changes.
• Users must actively apply quality flags to isolate high-quality retrievals, as noted in the documentation.

Provenance

Source

LPCLOUD (NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center)

Collection Method

Produced daily from 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS satellite data using a BRDF/albedo inversion model.

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:51:29.477370

Geography

Global