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Description

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MCD43C3 Version 6.1 Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function and Albedo (BRDF/Albedo) Albedo dataset is produced daily using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS data in a 0.05 degree (5,600 meters at the equator) Climate Modeling Grid (CMG). Data are temporally weighted to the ninth day of the retrieval period which is reflected in the Julian date in the file name. This CMG product covers the entire globe for use in climate simulation models.

Users are urged to use the band specific quality flags to isolate the highest quality full inversion results for their own science applications as described in the User Guide.

MCD43C3 provides black-sky albedo (directional hemispherical reflectance) and white-sky albedo (bihemispherical reflectance) at local solar noon. Black-sky albedo and white-sky albedo values are available as a separate layer for MODIS spectral bands 1 through 7 as well as the visible, near infrared (NIR), and shortwave bands. Along with the 20 albedo layers are ancillary layers for quality, local solar noon, percent finer resolution inputs, snow cover, and uncertainty.

Known Issues

Version Description

The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to MODIS Version 6.1 BRDF/Albedo Model Parameters data products: (1) Version 6.1 Level-1B (L1B) products have been improved by undergoing various calibration changes that include: changes to the response-versus-scan angle (RVS) approach that affects reflectance bands for Aqua and Terra MODIS, corrections to adjust for the optical crosstalk in Terra MODIS infrared (IR) bands, and corrections to the Terra MODIS forward look-up table (LUT) update for the period 2012 – 2017, and (2) A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB).

Product Summary

Platforms
Terra ,
Aqua
Instruments
MODIS
Spatial Extent

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

Spatial Resolution
5600 Meters x 5600 Meters
Spatial Reference System(s)
MODIS Climate Modeling Grid (CMG)
Location
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
2000-02-16 to Present
Temporal Resolution
1 Day
Data Partner
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) ,
School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts, Boston (UMASS-B/SFE) ,
MODIS Adaptive Processing System, Terrestrial Information Systems Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division, Science and Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA (NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/TISL/MODAPS)
Concept ID
C2532068039-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
9483
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Albedo ,
Anisotropy

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use and Citation Guidance.

Copy Citation

Schaaf, C., & Wang, Z. (2021). MODIS/Terra+Aqua BRDF/Albedo Albedo Daily L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG V061 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD43C3.061 Date Accessed: 2026-02-21

File Naming Convention

MCD43C3.A2025211.061.2025220080926.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MCD43C3) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025211), the Version of the data collection (061), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025220080926), and the Data Format (hdf).

Documents

USER'S GUIDE

ALGORITHM THEORETICAL BASIS DOCUMENT (ATBD)

PRODUCT QUALITY ASSESSMENT

SCIENCE DATA PRODUCT VALIDATION

GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

Publications Citing This Dataset

Filters
Title Year Author
The ICON Earth System Model Version 1.0 Jungclaus, J. H.
Spatiotemporal variations of land surface albedo and associated influencing factors on the Tibetan Plateau Pang, G. J.
Black carbon-climate interactions regulate dust burdens over India revealed during COVID-19 Wei, L.
Downscaling of AMSR-E soil moisture over North China using random forest regression Zhang, H.
On the radiative impact of biomass-burning aerosols in the Arctic—The August 2017 case study Calì Quaglia, F.
Climate response to introduction of the ESA CCI land cover data to the NCAR CESM Liu, S.
Meteorological controls on daily variations of nighttime surface urban heat islands Lai, J.
Estimating radiative forcing efficiency of dust aerosol based on direct satellite observations: Case studies over the Sahara and Taklimakan Desert Tian, L.
Major surface melting over the Ross Ice Shelf part II: Surface energy balance Zou, X.
Quantifying diurnal and seasonal variation of surface urban heat island intensity and its associated determinants across different climatic zones over Indian cities Mohammad, P.
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Variables

The table below lists the variables contained within a single granule for this dataset. Variables often contain observed or derived geophysical measurements collected from a variety of sources, including remote sensing instruments on satellite and airborne platforms, field campaigns, in situ measurements, and model outputs. The terms variable, parameter, scientific data set, layer, and band have been used across NASA’s Earth science disciplines; however, variable is the designated nomenclature in NASA’s Common Metadata Repository (CMR). Variable metadata attributes such as Name, Description, Units, Data Type, Fill Value, Valid Range, and Scale Factor allow users to efficiently process and analyze the data. The full range of attributes may not be applicable to all variables. Additional information on variable attributes is typically available in the data, user guide, and/or other product documentation.

For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.

Name Description Units Data Type Fill Value Valid Range Scale Factor
Albedo_BSA_Band1 Black-sky albedo for MODIS land band 1 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_BSA_Band2 Black-sky albedo for MODIS land band 2 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_BSA_Band3 Black-sky albedo for MODIS land band 3 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_BSA_Band4 Black-sky albedo for MODIS land band 4 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_BSA_Band5 Black-sky albedo for MODIS land band 5 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_BSA_Band6 Black-sky albedo for MODIS land band 6 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_BSA_Band7 Black-sky albedo for MODIS land band 7 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_BSA_nir Black-sky albedo for MODIS NIR broadband N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_BSA_shortwave Black-sky albedo for MODIS shortwave broadband N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_BSA_vis Black-sky albedo for MODIS vis broadband N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_Quality Global albedo quality N/A uint8 255 0 to 254 N/A
Albedo_WSA_Band1 White-sky albedo for MODIS land band 1 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_WSA_Band2 White-sky albedo for MODIS land band 2 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_WSA_Band3 White-sky albedo for MODIS land band 3 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_WSA_Band4 White-sky albedo for MODIS land band 4 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_WSA_Band5 White-sky albedo for MODIS land band 5 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_WSA_Band6 White-sky albedo for MODIS land band 6 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_WSA_Band7 White-sky albedo for MODIS land band 7 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_WSA_nir White-sky albedo for MODIS NIR broadband N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_WSA_shortwave White-sky albedo for MODIS shortwave broadband N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Albedo_WSA_vis White-sky albedo for MODIS vis broadband N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
BRDF_Albedo_Uncertainty BRDF inversion information N/A uint16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
Local_Solar_Noon Local solar noon zenith angle Degree uint8 255 0 to 90 N/A
Percent_Inputs Processed finer resolution data that contributed to this CMG pixel Percent uint8 255 0 to 100 N/A
Percent_Snow Underlying data flagged as snow Percent uint8 255 0 to 100 N/A
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