MODIS Daily Global Aerosol Depth at 1km Resolution

Daily 1-kilometer resolution global aerosol optical depth data from the combined Terra and Aqua MODIS satellites, processed using the MAIAC algorithm. This Level 2 product includes multiple science layers such as AOD at blue and green bands, uncertainty, water vapor, and smoke injection height. It is produced by NASA and has undergone calibration improvements in Version 6.1.

Use Cases

• Tracking smoke plume dispersion and injection height using the 'smoke injection height' column.
• Analyzing regional air quality trends through daily 'blue band AOD at 0.47 µm' and 'green band AOD at 0.55 µm' measurements.
• Validating atmospheric correction models using the 'AOD uncertainty' and 'AOD model at 1km' layers.
• Studying aerosol-cloud interactions by correlating 'column water vapor over land and clouds' with AOD values.
• Assessing view geometry for surface reflectance correction using 'cosine of solar zenith angle', 'cosine of view zenith angle', and 'relative azimuth angle'.

Strengths

• Provides daily global coverage at a high 1-kilometer pixel resolution.
• Includes multiple calibrated science layers (e.g., AOD, water vapor, smoke height) from the combined Terra and Aqua MODIS sensors.
• Version 6.1 incorporates specific calibration improvements for the period 2012-2017.

Limitations

• Specific row count, file size, and total column set are not provided by any source.
• A known issue notes a potential dip in AOD values for the first five months of 2022.
• Data structure includes a third dimension for orbit overpasses, which can affect band counts per file.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing from MODIS Terra and Aqua, processed with the Multi-angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm.

Time Range

Daily production; specific start date not provided, but calibration updates cover 2012-2017.

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:37:56.568685

Geography

Global