Daily Global White Sky Albedo from MODIS Band 5

Daily global white-sky albedo measurements for MODIS spectral band 5 are produced at 30 arc-second resolution. The dataset is generated by LPCLOUD using 16 days of combined Terra and Aqua MODIS observations, temporally weighted to the ninth day of the aggregation period.

Use Cases

• Model surface radiative forcing using the daily white-sky albedo values for band 5.
• Assess temporal changes in land surface reflectance by analyzing the time-series of albedo data.
• Validate climate simulation outputs by comparing modeled albedo with the satellite-derived white-sky albedo layer.
• Study vegetation or soil properties specific to the spectral range of MODIS band 5 through its albedo signal.

Strengths

• Daily temporal resolution enables tracking of rapid surface changes.
• Global spatial coverage at 1,000-meter resolution supports climate-scale analysis.
• Data incorporates 16 days of MODIS observations from two satellites for robust retrieval.

Limitations

• Each product file contains only one data layer, requiring multiple files for multi-band analysis.
• Quality depends on inversion results; users must apply band-specific quality flags for filtering.
• Known issues exist, as documented on the MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website.

Provenance

Source

LPCLOUD, using NASA MODIS data from Terra and Aqua satellites.

Collection Method

Produced daily using a 16-day rolling window of MODIS observations, temporally weighted to the ninth day.

Freshness

Daily

Geography

Global