VNP43D76: VIIRS White-Sky Albedo for Visible Band

NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP VIIRS VNP43D76 provides daily white-sky albedo values for the visible broadband (0.64 μm) at a 30 arc-second (1,000 meter) resolution. The data are generated using a 16-day temporal composite, weighted to the ninth day, and are formatted on a global Climate Modeling Grid. This product is part of a larger BRDF/Albedo suite designed for climate simulation models.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface radiative forcing in climate simulations based on the global Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) format.
• Analyzing temporal trends in land surface albedo using the daily, 16-day composite data.
• Validating or comparing albedo retrievals from other satellite sensors using the VIIRS visible broadband (0.64 μm) product.
• Studying the anisotropy of land surface reflectance as part of the broader BRDF/Albedo product suite.

Strengths

• Provides a specific, physically-defined variable (white-sky albedo) for a key spectral band (visible, 0.64 μm).
• Offers global coverage at a consistent, moderate resolution (1,000 meters) suitable for climate models.
• Incorporates improvements from a previous version, including an improved calibration algorithm for the entire Suomi NPP mission.

Limitations

• Metadata on specific columns, row counts, and file sizes is unavailable across all sources.
• Each product file contains only one data layer, which may complicate multi-band analysis.
• Relies on a 16-day composite for daily output, which may smooth over rapid surface changes.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data processed through the VNP43D BRDF/Albedo algorithm.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to nasa_earthdata and datagov.

Geography

Global coverage.