VNP43D26: VIIRS BRDF Volumetric Parameter for Band M11

VNP43D26 provides the volumetric parameter for the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model for VIIRS band M11 (2.25 μm) at a 30 arc second (1,000 meter) resolution. This daily product synthesizes 16 days of observations from the Suomi NPP satellite into a temporally weighted value for the ninth day, formatted for global Climate Modeling Grids. The volumetric parameter, alongside isotropic and geometric parameters, is used to derive surface albedo and reflectance anisotropy values for climate and land surface studies.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface albedo for climate simulations based on the BRDF model parameters.
• Analyzing land surface anisotropy and reflectance properties using the volumetric parameter for the 2.25 μm spectral band.
• Integrating daily, globally-complete geophysical data into climate models via the Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) format.
• Studying long-term trends in surface radiative properties using a consistent, satellite-derived time series.

Strengths

• Provides global coverage at a consistent 1-kilometer spatial resolution suitable for climate models.
• Offers a daily temporal resolution synthesized from a 16-day observation window for temporal stability.
• Is part of a cross-platform, well-documented NASA/NOAA product suite with a defined methodology (ATBD).

Limitations

• The Version 1 product was decommissioned on July 31, 2025, indicating users must migrate to newer versions.
• Metadata on specific column names, row counts, and file sizes is unavailable across all sources.
• Known issues exist, such as reduced observation quality due to high aerosol flag activation in upstream data.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-09 according to one source, but the product itself is decommissioned.

Geography

Global