VNP21C3: Monthly Global Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity at 5.6km

VIIRS/NPP VNP21C3 provides monthly averaged land surface temperature and emissivity at a 0.05-degree resolution, specifically formatted for climate models. The product contains separate daytime and nighttime observations, including quality control and view angle data, within a single file. Its algorithm averages cloud-free daily acquisitions, but known issues include potential high-temperature outliers in desert regions due to undetected cloud and dust.

Use Cases

• Calibrating and validating climate simulation models based on the Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) format.
• Analyzing diurnal temperature cycles using the separate daytime and nighttime LST layers.
• Studying surface energy balance and emissivity properties using the M14, M15, and M16 band emissivity data.
• Monitoring monthly land surface temperature trends at a global scale with quality-controlled, cloud-free composites.

Strengths

• Contains 25-27 distinct Science Dataset (SDS) layers, including LST, quality flags, view angles, and emissivity for multiple spectral bands.
• Provides a global, monthly composite at a consistent 0.05-degree (~5.6 km) resolution.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov signals its importance and official status.

Limitations

• Sources conflict on the exact number of Science Datasets (25 vs. 27).
• Known to have increased occurrences of extreme high-temperature outliers, especially over desert regions, compared to heritage products.
• Column names and specific data formats are not detailed in the provided metadata.

Provenance

Source

NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite, processed by LPCLOUD.

Collection Method

Averaging of cloud-free daily VNP21A1D and VNP21A1N acquisitions over a monthly period.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-04-09 according to two platforms.

Geography

Global coverage.