Daily Global White Sky Albedo for MODIS Band 1

White-sky albedo data for MODIS band 1 is produced daily from Terra and Aqua satellite observations. The dataset provides global coverage at a 30 arc-second (approximately 1 km) resolution, temporally weighted to represent a central ninth day. It is generated by LPCLOUD using NASA's MODIS instruments.

Use Cases

• Integrate white-sky albedo values for MODIS band 1 into climate simulation models to improve surface energy budget calculations.
• Analyze temporal trends in surface reflectance by utilizing the daily production cycle and the 16-day data aggregation window.
• Assess data quality for specific regions by applying the band-specific quality flags described in the user guide.
• Compare albedo characteristics across different spectral bands by referencing the related black-sky and white-sky products for bands 1-7.
• Study isotropic diffuse reflectance conditions using the white-sky albedo metric defined as bihemispherical reflectance.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage at a consistent 30 arc-second resolution.
• Daily production cycle utilizing 16 days of MODIS data from two satellites (Terra and Aqua).
• Includes quality flags for isolating highest quality full inversion results.

Limitations

• Each product file contains only one data layer, limiting immediate multi-band analysis.
• Temporal representation is a weighted composite centered on a ninth day, not a pure daily snapshot.
• Known issues exist and require consultation of a separate MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website.

Provenance

Source

NASA Terra and Aqua MODIS instruments.

Collection Method

Produced daily using 16 days of MODIS data, processed to Climate Modeling Grid (CMG).

Freshness

Daily

Geography

Global