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Description

The MCD15A2H Version 6.1 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Level 4 combined Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) product is an 8-day composite dataset with 500 meter pixel size. The algorithm chooses the best pixel available from all the acquisitions of both MODIS sensors located on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites from within the 8-day period.

LAI is defined as the one-sided green leaf area per unit ground area in broadleaf canopies and as one-half the total needle surface area per unit ground area in coniferous canopies. FPAR is defined as the fraction of incident photosynthetically active radiation (400-700 nm) absorbed by the green elements of a vegetation canopy.

Known Issues

Version Description

The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to MODIS Version 6.1 LAI/FPAR data products: (1) 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, and (2) A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB).

Product Summary

Platforms
Terra ,
Aqua
Instruments
MODIS
Projects
TERRA ,
Aqua
Spatial Extent

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

Spatial Resolution
500 Meters x 500 Meters
Spatial Reference System(s)
MODIS Sinusoidal Tiling System
Location
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
GEODETIC
Temporal Extent
2002-07-04 to Present
Temporal Resolution
8 Day
Data Partner
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) ,
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)
Concept ID
C2222147000-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
318430
Processing Level
4
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Photosynthetically Active Radiation ,
Leaf Area Index (LAI) ,
Leaf Characteristics ,
Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)

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

Myneni, R., Knyazikhin, Y., & Park, T. (2021). MODIS/Terra+Aqua Leaf Area Index/FPAR 8-Day L4 Global 500m SIN Grid V061 [Dataset]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD15A2H.061 Date Accessed: 2026-08-23

File Naming Convention

MCD15A2H.A2025209.h23v11.061.2025218033337.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MCD15A2H) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025209), the Tile Identifier which is horizontal tile and vertical tile provided as hXXvYY (h23v11), the Version of the data collection (061), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025218033337), and the Data Format (hdf).

Documents

USER'S GUIDE

ALGORITHM THEORETICAL BASIS DOCUMENT (ATBD)

PRODUCT QUALITY ASSESSMENT

SCIENCE DATA PRODUCT VALIDATION

GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

Publications Citing This Dataset

Filters
Title Year Author Topic
Improving satellite-based modelling of gross primary production in deciduous broadleaf forests by accounting for seasonality in light use efficiency Zhou, Xuewen, Xin, Qinchuan Reflectance, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
High-Resolution Vegetation Mapping Using eXtreme Gradient Boosting Based Zhang, Heng, Eziz, Anwar, Xiao, Jian, Tao, Shengli, Wang, Shaopeng, Tang, Zhiyao, Zhu, Jiangling, Fang, Jingyun Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Canopy Characteristics, Evergreen Vegetation, Crown, Deciduous Vegetation, Leaf Characteristics, Vegetation Cover, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity
Global white-sky and black-sky fapar retrieval using the energy balance residual method: Algorithm and validation Liu, Liangyun, Zhang, Xiao, Xie, Shuai, Liu, Xinjie, Song, Bowen, Chen, Siyuan, Peng, Dailiang Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
MOD-LSP, MODIS-based parameters for hydrologic modeling of North American land cover change Bohn, Theodore J., Vivoni, Enrique R. Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Leaf Characteristics, Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Albedo, Anisotropy, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Linking Remote Sensing and Dendrochronology to Quantify Climate-Induced CorreaDiaz, A., Silva, L. C. R., Horwath, W. R., GomezGuerrero, A., VargasHernandez, J., VillanuevaDiaz, J., VelazquezMartinez, A., SuarezEspinoza, J. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation
Monitoring the variation of vegetation water content with machine learning methodsPoint-surface fusion of MODIS products and GNSS-IR observations Yuan, Qiangqiang, Li, Shuwen, Yue, Linwei, Li, Tongwen, Shen, Huanfeng, Zhang, Liangpei Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Reflectance, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Leaf Characteristics, Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Total Surface Precipitation Rate, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Normalization of the temporal effect on the MODIS land surface temperature product using random forest regression Zhao, Wei, Wu, Hua, Yin, Gaofei, Duan, Si-Bo Reflectance, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Modelling the Arctic taiga-tundra ecotone using ALOS PALSAR and optical earth observation data Walther, Christian, Huttich, Christian, Urban, Marcel, Schmullius, Christiane Canopy Characteristics, Evergreen Vegetation, Crown, Deciduous Vegetation, Leaf Characteristics, Vegetation Cover, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Albedo, Anisotropy, Reflectance, Total Surface Water
Modelling biomass burning emissions and the effect of spatial resolution: a case study for Africa based on the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) van Wees, Dave, van der Werf, Guido R. Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Canopy Characteristics, Evergreen Vegetation, Crown, Deciduous Vegetation, Vegetation Cover
Net carbon emissions from African biosphere dominate pan-tropical atmospheric CO2 signal Palmer, Paul I., Feng, Liang, Baker, David, Chevallier, Frederic, Bosch, Hartmut, Somkuti, Peter Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Satellite-derived LAI products exhibit large discrepancies and can lead to substantial uncertainty in simulated carbon and water fluxes Liu, Yibo, Xiao, Jingfeng, Ju, Weimin, Zhu, Gaolong, Wu, Xiaocui, Fan, Weiliang, Li, Dengqiu, Zhou, Yanlian Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Use of remote sensing indicators to assess effects of drought and human-induced land degradation on ecosystem health in Northeastern Brazil Mariano, Denis A., Santos, Carlos A.C. dos, Wardlow, Brian D., Anderson, Martha C., Schiltmeyer, Allie V., Tadesse, Tsegaye, Svoboda, Mark D. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Albedo, Anisotropy
Utilizing the MODIS-derived leaf area index to investigate the impact of vegetation processes on hydrological simulation of macroscale catchment Zhao, H. G., Yang, S. T., Huang, Y. C. Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Fractional vegetation cover estimation by using multi-angle vegetation index Mu, Xihan, Song, Wanjuan, Gao, Zhan, McVicar, Tim R., Donohue, Randall J., Yan, Guangjian Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy
Fire in sub-Saharan Africa: The fuel, cure and connectivity hypothesis Kahiu, M. Njoki, Hanan, N. P. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Estimation of woody and herbaceous leaf area index in sub-Saharan Africa using MODIS data Kahiu, M. N., Hanan, N. P. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Analysis of global LAI/FPAR products from VIIRS and MODIS sensors for spatio-temporal consistency and uncertainty from 20122016 Xu, Baodong, Park, Taejin, Yan, Kai, Chen, Chi, Zeng, Yelu, Song, Wanjuan, Yin, Gaofei, Li, Jing, Liu, Qinhuo, Knyazikhin, Yuri, Myneni, Ranga Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Characteristics, Reflectance
Assessing spectral indices to estimate the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by the vegetation canopy Peng, Dailiang, Zhang, Helin, Yu, Le, Wu, Mingquan, Wang, Fumin, Huang, Wenjiang, Liu, Liangyun, Sun, Rui, Li, Cunjun, Wang, Dacheng, Xu, Fubao Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Leaf phenology as one important driver of seasonal changes in isoprene Alves, Eliane G., Tota, Julio, Turnipseed, Andrew, Guenther, Alex B., Vega Bustillos, Jose Oscar W., Santana, Raoni A., Cirino, Glauber G., Tavares, Julia V., Lopes, Aline P., Nelson, Bruce W., de Souza, Rodrigo A., Gu, Dasa, Stavrakou, Trissevgeni, Adams, David K., Wu, Jin, Saleska, Scott, Manzi, Antonio O. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Land surface greening suggests vigorous woody regrowth throughout Buitenwerf, Robert, Sandel, Brody, Normand, Signe, Mimet, Anne, Svenning, JensChristian Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
MODIS-derived global land products of shortwave radiation and diffuse and total photosynthetically active radiation at 5 km resolution from 2000 Ryu, Youngryel, Jiang, Chongya, Kobayashi, Hideki, Detto, Matteo Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Modelling aboveground biomass using MODIS FPAR/LAI data in alpine grasslands of the Northern Tibetan Plateau Wu, Jian Shuang, Fu, Gang Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation
Testing the maximum entropy production approach for estimating Wang, Hailong, Tetzlaff, Doerthe, Soulsby, Chris Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Spring green-up phenology products derived from MODIS NDVI and EVI: Intercomparison, interpretation and validation using National Phenology Network and ... Peng, Dailiang, Wu, Chaoyang, Li, Cunjun, Zhang, Xiaoyang, Liu, Zhengjia, Ye, Huichun, Luo, Shezhou, Liu, Xinjie, Hu, Yong, Fang, Bin Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Estimation of FAPAR over croplands using MISR data and the earth observation land data assimilation system (EO-LDAS) Chernetskiy, Maxim, Gomez-Dans, Jose, Gobron, Nadine, Morgan, Olivier, Lewis, Philip, Truckenbrodt, Sina, Schmullius, Christiane Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
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