MODFDS_MON_GLB_L3: Global Monthly Dust Storm Frequency at 0.1° Resolution, 2000-2022

Monthly frequency of dust storms over land from 2000 to 2022, derived from NASA's MODIS Terra satellite. The data covers 80°S to 80°N and 175°W to 175°E on a 0.1° x 0.1° grid, with eight intensity thresholds ranging from 0.025 to 2.0. It is produced by NASA's GES DISC from MODIS Deep Blue aerosol products.

Use Cases

• Modeling long-term dust emission trends based on monthly frequency data from 2000 to 2022.
• Analyzing spatial patterns of dust storm intensity based on eight optical depth thresholds.
• Studying aerosol-climate interactions using satellite-derived dust optical depth over land.
• Validating regional dust models using quality-flagged data over source and remote regions.

Strengths

• Covers a 23-year time range from 2000 to 2022.
• Provides data at eight distinct dust intensity thresholds (0.025 to 2.0).
• Offers global spatial coverage from 80°S to 80°N at 0.1° resolution.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data quality flags require careful application depending on region (source vs. remote).

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Derived from Level 2 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Deep Blue aerosol products (MOD04_L2 Collection 6.1) from the Terra satellite.

Time Range

2000 to 2022

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:20:58.978157; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global land coverage from 80°S to 80°N, 175°W to 175°E