VNP43D73: VIIRS/NPP White-Sky Albedo for Band M8

NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite data provides daily white-sky albedo for the VIIRS M8 band (1.240 μm) at 1,000-meter resolution. This product is part of a global Climate Modeling Grid suite designed for simulating Earth's climate, using a 16-day rolling window weighted to the ninth day. Version 1 of this dataset was officially decommissioned on July 31, 2025.

Use Cases

• Modeling global climate dynamics based on daily, high-resolution albedo data.
• Analyzing surface reflectance anisotropy using the BRDF/Albedo product suite.
• Studying land surface radiative properties for the VIIRS Day/Night Band (DNB).

Strengths

• Provides daily global coverage at a consistent 30 arc-second (1,000-meter) resolution.
• Part of a standardized NASA/NOAA product suite (VNP43D) specifically designed for climate modeling grids.
• Includes albedo values for multiple spectral bands and the unique VIIRS Day/Night Band.

Limitations

• The dataset is a decommissioned Version 1 product; users are directed to newer versions.
• Each file contains only one data layer due to large file sizes, which may limit concurrent analysis.
• Metadata completeness is low; specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are unknown.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) via the Suomi NPP satellite.

Collection Method

Produced daily from Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor data using a 16-day temporal window.

Freshness

Last updated metadata on April 9, 2026, but the data product itself was decommissioned July 31, 2025.

Geography

Global coverage on a Climate Modeling Grid (CMG).