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Description

The NOAA-20 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity (LST&E) monthly Climate Modeling Grid Version 2 product (VJ121C3) provides LST&E by a process of selecting the best available pixel over a monthly acquisition period at 0.05 degree (~5,600 meter) resolution. The VJ121C3 dataset is a monthly composite LST&E product that uses an algorithm based on a simple averaging method and is formatted as a CMG for use in climate simulation models. The algorithm calculates the average from all the cloud free VJ121A1D and VJ121A1N daily acquisitions from the monthly period. Unlike the VJ121A1 data sets where the daytime and nighttime acquisitions are separate products, the VJ121C3 contains both daytime and nighttime acquisitions as separate Science Dataset (SDS) layers within a single Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) file.

Additional details regarding the method used to create this Level 3 (L3) product are available in the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD).

The VJ121C3 product contains 25 Science Datasets (SDS): LST, quality control, view zenith angle, and time of observation for both day and night observations along with emissivity for bands M14, M15, and M16. Low-resolution browse images for day and night LST are also available for each VJ121C3 granule.

Known Issues

Improvements/Changes from Previous Version

  • Improved calibration algorithm and coefficients for entire NOAA-20 mission.
  • Improved geolocation accuracy and applied updates to fix outliers around maneuver periods.
  • Corrected the aerosol quantity flag (low, average, high) mainly over brighter surfaces in the mid- to high-latitudes such as desert and tropical vegetation areas. This has an impact on the retrieval of other downstream data products such as VNP13 Vegetation Indices and VNP43 Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF)/Albedo.
  • Improved cloud mask input product for corrections along coastlines and artifacts from use of coarse resolution climatology data.
  • Replaced the land/water mask input product with the eight-class land/water mask from the VNP03 geolocation product that better aligns with MODIS.
  • Replaced MERRA2 inputs with GEOS5.
  • Included inland water body pixels to allow for LST retrieval over these areas.
  • Introduced daily, 8-day, and monthly LST CMG products.
  • More details can be found in this VIIRS Land V2 Changes document.

Product Summary

Platforms
NOAA-20
Instruments
VIIRS
Spatial Extent
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180
Spatial Resolution
5600 Meters x 5600 Meters
Geographic Region
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
2018-01-01 to Present
Temporal Resolution
1 Month
Data Partner
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC)
Land Science Investigator-led Processing System, Terrestrial Information Systems Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division, Sciences and Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA (NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/TISL/LandSIPS)
Concept ID
c2545310909-lpcloud
Data State
ACTIVE
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated

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

Hulley, G., & Hook, S. (2023). VIIRS/JPSS1 Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Monthly L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG V002 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VJ121C3.002 Date Accessed: 2025-07-12

Data Center Citation

Glynn Hulley, Simon Hook. 2023. VIIRS/JPSS1 Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Monthly L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG V002. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA: NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VJ121C3.002.

Documents

ALGORITHM THEORETICAL BASIS DOCUMENT (ATBD) The ATBD provides physical theory and mathematical procedures for the calculations used to produce the data products.
PRODUCT QUALITY ASSESSMENT The LDOPE Land Product Quality Assessment website provides known issues, maneuvers, and product quality of the land products.
SCIENCE DATA PRODUCT VALIDATION Validation at stage 1 has been achieved for the VIIRS Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity product suite.
SCIENCE DATA PRODUCT VALIDATION Further details regarding VIIRS product validation and maturity status are available from VIIRS Land Product Quality Assessment site.
USER'S GUIDE The technical information in the User's Guide enables users to interpret and use the data products.

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