MCD43D56: Daily Global White-Sky Albedo for MODIS Band 5 at 1km Resolution

Daily global data produced using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS observations, temporally weighted to the ninth day. The MCD43D56 Version 6.1 product provides white-sky albedo for MODIS band 5 at a 30 arc second (1,000 meter) resolution, covering the entire globe for climate simulation models. It is produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was last updated on 2026-03 12.

Use Cases

• Calibrating and validating climate models based on the white-sky albedo parameter for band 5.
• Analyzing land surface radiative properties over time based on the daily, globally gridded data.
• Isolating high-quality albedo retrievals for scientific applications based on the band-specific quality flags mentioned in the user guide.

Strengths

• Data is produced daily at a consistent 30 arc second (1,000 meter) global resolution.
• Version 6.1 incorporates specific calibration improvements, including polarization correction and RVS approach changes.
• Product is designed for the Climate Modeling Grid (CMG), indicating suitability for global-scale simulations.

Limitations

• 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 workflows.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific analytical needs.

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 coverage, with data temporally weighted to the ninth day of a 16-day window.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:39:34.149353; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage.