VNP43D86: VIIRS Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance for Band M8

VNP43D86 provides daily, global Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR) values for the VIIRS satellite's M8 band at 1.240 μm. The data are produced from a 16-day rolling composite at a 30 arc-second (1,000 meter) Climate Modeling Grid resolution, temporally weighted to the ninth day. This product is part of a suite designed to remove view-angle effects, modeling surface reflectance as if observed from nadir at local solar noon for use in climate models.

Use Cases

• Climate model initialization and validation based on globally gridded, atmospherically corrected reflectance.
• Monitoring vegetation and land surface changes using the 1.240 μm shortwave infrared band.
• Studying surface anisotropy and albedo by utilizing the underlying BRDF model.
• Cross-sensor comparison and data continuity studies as part of the Suomi NPP mission's product suite.

Strengths

• Global daily coverage at a consistent 1,000-meter resolution in a Climate Modeling Grid format.
• Data incorporates algorithmic improvements including better calibration coefficients and geolocation accuracy for the entire mission.
• Product is part of a well-documented suite with methodology detailed in an Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD).

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, file size, and specific license details are missing or conflict across platforms (e.g., 'other-license-specified' vs. null).
• Each global daily file contains only a single data layer, requiring multiple files for multi-band analysis.
• Known issues exist and require external consultation of a dedicated Land Quality Assessment website.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Processed from NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP VIIRS sensor data using the NBAR algorithm.

Time Range

Covers the operational period of the Suomi NPP mission; specific start date not provided.

Freshness

2026-04-09 (from datagov)

Geography

Global