The MCD43D43 Version 6.1 Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function and Albedo (BRDF/Albedo) Black-Sky Albedo dataset is produced daily using 16 days of Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data at 30 arc second (1,000 meter (m)) resolution. Data are temporally weighted to the ninth day which is reflected in the Julian date in the file name. This Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) product covers the entire globe for use in climate simulation models. Due to the large file size, each MCD43D product contains just one data layer.

MCD43D42 through MCD43D61 are the albedo products of the MCD43D BRDF/Albedo product suite. There are 10 black-sky albedo and 10 white-sky albedo layers representing MODIS bands 1 through 7 and the visible, near-infrared (NIR), and shortwave bands. The black-sky albedo (directional hemispherical reflectance) is defined as albedo in the absence of a diffuse component and is a function of solar zenith angle. White-sky albedo (bihemispherical reflectance) is defined as albedo in the absence of a direct component when the diffuse component is isotropic.

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.

MCD43D43 is the black-sky albedo for MODIS band 2.

Known Issues

• For complete information about known issues please refer to the MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website.

Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions

• The 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.
• A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB).