MODIS White Sky Albedo for Band 3 Daily Global Climate Grid

Global daily white-sky albedo data for MODIS spectral band 3 is produced at 30 arc-second resolution. LPCLOUD generates this product using 16 days of combined Terra and Aqua MODIS observations, temporally weighted to the ninth day. It is designed for use in climate simulation models.

Use Cases

• Model surface radiative forcing in climate simulations using the white-sky albedo layer.
• Analyze temporal trends in surface reflectance for MODIS band 3 spectral range.
• Validate land surface models by comparing simulated albedo with the white-sky albedo data.
• Assess spatial patterns of isotropic diffuse reflectance for vegetation or soil studies using the global grid.

Strengths

• Daily temporal resolution for global coverage.
• 30 arc-second (approximately 1 km) spatial resolution.
• Data layer is temporally weighted using a 16-day observation window.

Limitations

• Each file contains only one data layer, limiting multi-band analysis within a single file.
• Quality assessment requires user interpretation of separate band-specific quality flags.
• Known issues exist, requiring consultation with the MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website.

Provenance

Source

LPCLOUD

Collection Method

Produced from 16 days of Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data.

Freshness

daily

Geography

global