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Description
The MOD11_L2 Version 6 data product was decommissioned on July 31, 2023. Users are encouraged to use the MOD11_L2 Version 6.1 data product.
The MOD11_L2 Version 6 swath product provides per-pixel Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity (LST&E) with a pixel size of 1,000 meters (m). The product is produced daily in 5-minute temporal increments of satellite acquisition using the generalized split-window algorithm. MOD11_L2 is a Level 2 product which provides the input for the Level 3 products. Provided in each MOD11_L2 file are LST, quality control assessment, error estimates, bands 31 and 32 emissivities, zenith angle of the pixel view, observation time, and the geographic coordinates for every five scan lines and samples.
Known Issues
Production of V6 Terra MODIS Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity (LST&E) data products was discontinued on November 16, 2022, due to significant loss of data retrieval following the Constellation Exit Maneuvers.
The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to MODIS Version 6 land surface temperature and emissivity data products: (1) Removed cloud-contaminated LSTs from Level 2 and Level 3 LST products, (2) Updated the coefficient look-up table (LUT) for the split-window algorithm with comprehensive regression analysis of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) simulation data in bands 31 and 32 over wide ranges of surface and atmospheric conditions, especially extending the upper boundary for (LST – Ts-air) in arid and semi-arid regions. Increased the overlap between various sub-ranges to reduce the sensitivity of the algorithm to uncertainties in the input data (i.e., column water vapor and air surface temperature from MOD07), (3) Made minor adjustments in the classification-based surface emissivity values, especially for bare soil and rocks land cover types, (4) Tuned the day/night algorithm by adjusting weights to improve performance in desert regions where the incorporated split-window algorithm may not work well, and (5) Generated new gridded LST&E products with a 6 km spatial resolution for 8-day (MOD11B2) and monthly (MOD11B3) intervals in response to user community requests.
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC)
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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)
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
Citation Copied
Wan, Z., Hook, S., & Hulley, G. (2015). MOD11_L2 MODIS/Terra Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V006 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD11_L2.006 Date Accessed: 2026-04-26
Wan, Zhengming, Simon Hook, and Glynn Hulley. “MOD11_L2 MODIS/Terra Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V006.” NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center, 2015. doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD11_L2.006. Date Accessed: 2026-04-26
Wan, Zhengming, et al. MOD11_L2 MODIS/Terra Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V006. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center, 2015, doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD11_L2.006. Date Accessed: 2026-04-26
File Naming Convention
MOD11_L2.A2002281.2350.006.2015160225759.hdf
The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MOD11) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2002281), the Hours and Minutes of Acquisition provided as HHMM (2350), the Version of the data collection (006), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2015160225759), and the Data Format (hdf).
Learn how to interpret Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Land Surface Temperature data quality information, including decoding binary quality layers and utilizing tools for data analysis.
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.
