VNP43D36: VIIRS BRDF Geometric Parameter for Shortwave Broadband

NASA/NOAA's Suomi NPP VIIRS VNP43D36 product provides the geometric parameter for the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model for the shortwave broadband (1.61 μm). It is produced daily using a 16-day temporal composite at a 30 arc-second (1,000 meter) global Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) resolution. This parameter, alongside the isotropic and volumetric parameters, is used to derive surface albedo and reflectance anisotropy for climate modeling and land surface monitoring.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface albedo for climate simulations based on the BRDF model parameters.
• Analyzing land surface anisotropy and reflectance properties using the geometric kernel parameter.
• Monitoring temporal changes in surface radiative properties from daily, globally composited data.
• Integrating shortwave broadband reflectance data into Earth system models that use the CMG projection.

Strengths

• Provides a specific, critical model parameter (geometric kernel) for BRDF/albedo derivation.
• Offers daily global coverage at a consistent 1,000-meter resolution in a Climate Modeling Grid.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov signals its importance and reliability.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low: column names, row counts, and file sizes are unknown across all sources.
• Each file contains only one data layer, requiring combination with other parameters (VNP43D34, VNP43D35) for full analysis.
• Known data issues exist, requiring users to consult an external website for quality assessment.

Provenance

Source

NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite, Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)

Collection Method

Produced daily using a 16-day temporal composite, weighted to the ninth day.

Time Range

Covers the duration of the Suomi NPP mission; daily production suggests a continuous time series.

Freshness

Last updated: 2026-04-09 21:04:27.770184

Geography

Global coverage.