VNP43D41: VIIRS/NPP Local Solar Zenith Angle at Noon

VNP43D41 provides the local solar zenith angle at solar noon, produced daily at 30 arc-second (1,000 meter) resolution using a 16-day temporal window. This data layer is part of the VIIRS BRDF/Albedo product suite formatted for a global Climate Modeling Grid. The product was decommissioned on July 31, 2025, with users directed to newer Version 2 data products.

Use Cases

• Calibrating climate simulation models based on the Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) format.
• Analyzing surface anisotropy and albedo retrievals using the local solar zenith angle parameter.
• Monitoring temporal changes in solar geometry for phenology or land surface studies.
• Assessing data quality for BRDF model inversions, particularly over bright arid surfaces as noted in known issues.

Strengths

• Provides global coverage at a consistent 30 arc-second spatial resolution.
• Data is produced daily with a defined 16-day temporal compositing window, weighted to a central day.
• Part of a well-documented NASA/NOAA product suite with referenced algorithm documents.

Limitations

• The dataset is explicitly decommissioned (as of July 31, 2025), limiting its use for current applications.
• Known data quality issues exist, including reduced high-quality BRDF inversions over bright arid surfaces due to upstream aerosol flagging.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided across sources.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite.

Collection Method

Derived from Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) observations, processed through the VNP43 BRDF/Albedo algorithm.

Time Range

Daily production, but specific start and end dates for the Version 1 series are not provided.

Freshness

Last updated metadata indicates 2026-04-09, but the underlying product was decommissioned in 2025.

Geography

Global coverage.