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

Daily global white-sky albedo data for MODIS band 3, produced using 16 days of Terra and Aqua satellite observations. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provides this Climate Modeling Grid product at 30 arc second (1,000 meter) resolution, with data temporally weighted to the ninth day of the observation period. Users are directed to consult the provided User Guide for applying quality flags to isolate the highest quality results.

Use Cases

• Modeling land surface energy budgets based on white-sky albedo values.
• Analyzing temporal changes in surface reflectance for climate studies based on daily global coverage.
• Incorporating satellite-derived albedo into climate simulation models as described for the Climate Modeling Grid product.
• Assessing surface radiative properties for specific spectral bands, as this dataset provides data for MODIS band 3.

Strengths

• Data is produced daily using observations from two satellite platforms (Terra and Aqua MODIS).
• Provides global coverage at a consistent 30 arc second (approximately 1km) spatial resolution.
• Version 6.1 incorporates specific calibration improvements, including RVS approach changes and polarization correction for reflective solar bands.

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.
• Each product file contains just one data layer, which may complicate multi-band analysis.

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 a 16-day observation window.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:39:21.267946; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global