Daily Global White-Sky Albedo for Near-Infrared Broadband

MODIS sensors aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites produce daily global maps of near-infrared broadband white-sky albedo at a 1-kilometer resolution. The LPCLOUD organization generates this Climate Modeling Grid product by processing 16 days of MODIS data, temporally weighted to the ninth day. It is part of the MCD43D product suite, version 6.1.

Use Cases

• Model surface radiative forcing in climate simulations using the daily NIR white-sky albedo layer.
• Analyze temporal trends in surface reflectance by utilizing the daily temporal weighting and 16-day data aggregation window.
• Assess data quality for specific regions by applying the band-specific quality flags described in the user guide.
• Compare albedo products across the MODIS spectral bands by referencing the related black-sky and white-sky albedo layers (MCD43D42 through MCD43D61).

Strengths

• Provides daily global coverage at a consistent 30 arc-second (1 km) resolution.
• Integrates data from two satellite platforms (Terra and Aqua MODIS) over a 16-day window for robust inversion.
• Includes 10 specific albedo layers for different spectral bands, enabling comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Each product file contains only one data layer, requiring multiple file downloads for multi-band analysis.
• Known issues exist, requiring users to consult external assessment websites for complete error information.
• The large file size per single layer may pose challenges for storage and processing.

Provenance

Source

NASA Terra and Aqua MODIS sensors.

Collection Method

Data produced daily using 16 days of MODIS observations and a full inversion model.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Daily

Geography

Global