VJ143D59: Black-Sky Albedo for VIIRS Band M7

NOAA-20 VIIRS VJ143D59 provides daily black-sky albedo (BSA) values for the 0.865 μm (M7) spectral band at a 1,000-meter resolution. The data are produced using a 16-day temporal composite, weighted to the ninth day, and are formatted on a global Climate Modeling Grid (CMG). This single-layer product is part of a larger suite offering BSA and white-sky albedo for multiple VIIRS bands, including the Day/Night Band.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface-atmosphere interactions based on directional hemispherical reflectance.
• Analyzing temporal trends in land surface albedo using a daily, 16-day composite product.
• Integrating moderate-resolution albedo data into global climate simulation models (CMG).
• Comparing black-sky and white-sky albedo values across the VIIRS spectral bands.

Strengths

• Provides global coverage on a Climate Modeling Grid designed for climate simulations.
• Offers daily temporal resolution using a consistent 16-day data composite methodology.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov suggests established use and validation.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low; specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided.
• Each product file contains only one data layer, which may complicate multi-band analysis.
• Known issues exist and require external consultation with the MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website.

Provenance

Source

LPCLOUD (NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center).

Collection Method

Derived from NOAA-20 VIIRS sensor data using a BRDF/Albedo algorithm.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-09 according to NASA Earthdata and Data.gov.

Geography

Global.