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Description

This data set reports the location of snow cover based on the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) and a series of screens designed to alleviate errors and flag uncertain snow cover detections. The NDSI is derived from radiance data acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Terra satellite.

As of August 2023, this data set is retired and no longer available for download. We recommend using <a href="https://nsidc.org/data/mod10_l2/versions/61">MODIS/Terra Snow Cover 5-Min L2 Swath 500m, Version 61</a> as an alternative.

Version Description

Changes for Version 6 include:
  • Fractional Snow Cover has been replaced by Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) snow cover. Fractional Snow Cover is no longer calculated;
  • The binary Snow-Covered Area (SCA) map has been discontinued;
  • Data screens designed to reduce snow detection errors have been revised and several new screens have been added;
  • Data screen results, including snow detection reversals and detections with increased uncertainty, are provided in a new QA bit flag;
  • Basic pixel-level QA uses new criteria to indicate the overall quality of algorithm result.

Product Summary

Platforms
Terra
Instruments
MODIS
Spatial Extent

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

Spatial Resolution
500 Meters x 500 Meters
Location
GLOBAL LAND
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
GEODETIC
Temporal Extent
2000-02-24 to 2023-02-17
Temporal Resolution
5 Minute
Concept ID
C3024162391-NSIDC_CPRD
Data State
DEPRECATED
Number of Files/Granules
0
Processing Level
2
Published
Science Keywords
Snow Cover

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

Hall, D. K., & Riggs, G. A. (2015). MODIS/Terra Snow Cover 5-Min L2 Swath 500m, Versin 6 [Dataset]. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD10_L2.006 Date Accessed: 2026-07-26

Documents

Publications Citing This Dataset

Filters
Title Year Author Topic
Quantifying SurfaceHeight Change Over a Periglacial Environment With ICESat2 Laser Altimetry Michaelides, R. J., Bryant, M. B., Siegfried, M. R., Borsa, A. A. Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Soil Heat Budget, Soil Heat Budget, Soil Temperature, Soil Temperature, Soil Infiltration, Soil Infiltration, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Surface Soil Moisture, Root Zone Soil Moisture, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Evaporation, Surface Water, Total Runoff, Average Flow, Average Flow, Precipitation, Snow/Ice, Snow Depth, Snow Melt, Snow/Ice Temperature, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Glacier Elevation/Ice Sheet Elevation, Snow Cover
Water, agriculture, and climate dynamics in central Chile's Aconcagua River Basin Webb, Mariana J., Winter, Jonathan M., Spera, Stephanie A., Chipman, Jonathan W., Osterberg, Erich C. Snow Cover
Biogenic sources of ice nucleating particles at the high Arctic site villum research station Santl-Temkiv, Tina, Lange, Robert, Beddows, David, Rauter, Urska, Pilgaard, Stephanie, DallOsto, Manuel, Gunde-Cimerman, Nina, Massling, Andreas, Wex, Heike Ice Extent, Ice Temperature, Snow Cover
Overview of NASA's MODIS and visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (VIIRS) snow-cover earth system data records Riggs, George A., Hall, Dorothy K., Roman, Miguel O. Snow Cover, Snow Cover, Albedo, Albedo
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