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Description

The NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) and Albedo white-sky albedo for band NIR (VNP43D77) is produced daily using 16 days of data at 30 arc second (1,000 meter) resolution. Data are temporally weighted to the ninth day, which is reflected in the file name. The VNP43D product suite is provided in a Climate Modeling Grid (CMG), which covers the entire globe for use in climate simulation models. Due to the large file size, each VNP43D product contains just one data layer.

VNP43D54 through VNP43D79 are the albedo products of the VNP43D BRDF/Albedo product suite. Black-sky albedo (BSA) and white-sky albedo (WSA) values are provided for the nine VIIRS moderate resolution bands (M1 through M5, M7, M8, M10, and M11) along with the visible, near-infrared (NIR), and shortwave bands included in the VNP43MA3 product. In addition to the bands included in VNP43MA3, this product suite includes albedo values for the VIIRS Day/Night Band (DNB). 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. Details regarding methodology are available on the VNP43MA3 product page and in the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD).

VNP43D77 is the WSA for the VIIRS NIR broadband (0.865 μm).

Known Issues

Version Description

The following modifications and enhancements were implemented for Suomi NPP Version 2 BRDF and albedo WSA at solar noon NIR data product: (1) Enhanced calibration algorithm and refined coefficients for the entire Suomi NPP mission. (2) Improved geolocation accuracy and updates to address outliers during maneuver periods and other events. Further details can be found in the VIIRS Land V2 Changes document (https://landweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/data/userguide/VIIRS_Land_C2_Changes_09152022.pdf).

Product Summary

Platforms
Suomi-NPP
Instruments
VIIRS
Spatial Extent

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

Spatial Resolution
1000 Meters x 1000 Meters
Geographic Region
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
2012-01-19 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) ,
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
C2849433517-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
5078
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Albedo ,
Anisotropy ,
Reflectance

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., Erb, A., & Paynter, I. (2025). VIIRS/NPP BRDF/Albedo WSA at Solar Noon NIR Daily L3 Global 30ArcSec CMG V002 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/VIIRS/VNP43D77.002 Date Accessed: 2025-12-25

File Naming Convention

VNP43D77.A2025215.002.2025224210808.h5

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (VNP43D767 followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025215), the Version of the data collection (002), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025224210808), and the Data Format (h5).

Documents

USER'S GUIDE

ALGORITHM THEORETICAL BASIS DOCUMENT (ATBD)

PRODUCT QUALITY ASSESSMENT

SCIENCE DATA PRODUCT VALIDATION

GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

Variables

Variables are a set of physical properties whose values determine the characteristics or behavior of something. For example, temperature and pressure are variables of the atmosphere. Parameters and variables can be used interchangeably. Variable level attributes provide individual information for each variable.

The Name in this table is the variable name. Fill value indicates missing or undefined data points in a variable. Valid range is the range of values the variable can store. Scale factor is used to increase or decrease the size of an object and can be used to correct for distortion. For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.

Name Description Units Data Type Fill Value Valid Range Scale Factor
BRDF_Albedo_WSA_nir White-sky albedo for NIR band N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
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