MCD43D54: Daily Global White-Sky Albedo for MODIS Band 3 at 1km Resolution

Global daily white-sky albedo data for MODIS band 3, produced at a 30 arc second (approximately 1,000 meter) resolution. The dataset is generated by NASA using 16 days of combined Terra and Aqua MODIS observations, temporally weighted to the ninth day, and is formatted as a Climate Modeling Grid (CMG). This specific version (V006) was decommissioned on July 31, 2023, with users directed to the updated V6.1 product.

Use Cases

• Parameterizing land surface albedo in climate simulation models based on the Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) format.
• Analyzing daily surface reflectance properties for MODIS band 3 using the white-sky albedo (bihemispherical reflectance) metric.
• Assessing changes in surface radiative properties over time using the 16-day rolling observation window.
• Isolating high-quality data for scientific applications using the band-specific quality flags described in the user guide.

Strengths

• Provides a single, focused data layer (white-sky albedo for MODIS band 3) for global coverage.
• Data is produced daily using a 16-day observation window from two satellite platforms (Terra and Aqua MODIS).
• Spatial resolution is specified as 30 arc seconds (approximately 1,000 meters).

Limitations

• This version (V006) is decommissioned and contains known issues, particularly over arid bright surfaces, requiring users to adopt the corrected V6.1 product.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset's large file size is noted, with each product containing just one data layer.

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 with data weighted to the ninth day of a 16-day period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:38:39.233789; freshness should be verified as the core data product is deprecated.

Geography

Global