Skip to main content

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
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
314966
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 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD15A2H.061 Date Accessed: 2026-05-25

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
Revisiting the use of red and near-infrared reflectances in vegetation studies and numerical climate models Gutman, Garik, Skakun, Sergii, Gitelson, Anatoly Reflectance, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Simulation of dissolved organic carbon flux in the Penobscot watershed, Maine Rouhani, Shabnam, Schaaf, Crystal L., Huntington, Thomas G., Choate, Janet Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Twenty years of change: Land and water resources in the Chindwin catchment, Myanmar between 1999 and 2019 McGinn, Antonia J., Wagner, Paul D., Htike, Htike, Kyu, Khin Kyu, Fohrer, Nicola Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Time-variations of zeroth-order vegetation absorption and scattering at L-band Baur, Martin J., Jagdhuber, Thomas, Feldman, Andrew F., Chaparro, David, Piles, Maria, Entekhabi, Dara Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Precipitation, Precipitation Amount, Precipitation Rate, Snow, Rain
ValLAI_Crop, a validation dataset for coarse-resolution satellite LAI products over Chinese cropland Song, Bowen, Liu, Liangyun, Du, Shanshan, Zhang, Xiao, Chen, Xidong, Zhang, Helin Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance, Anisotropy
Validation of four coarse-resolution leaf area index products over croplands in China using field measurements Song, Bowen, Liu, Liangyun, Zhao, Jingjing, Chen, Xidong, Zhang, Helin, Gao, Yuan, Zhang, Xiao Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Upscaling Net Ecosystem Exchange Over Heterogeneous Landscapes With Reitz, O., Graf, A., Schmidt, M., Ketzler, G., Leuchner, M. Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Canopy Characteristics, Evergreen Vegetation, Crown, Deciduous Vegetation, Leaf Characteristics, Vegetation Cover, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy, Shortwave Radiation, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Toward operational validation systems for global satellite-based terrestrial essential climate variables Bayat, Bagher, Camacho, Fernando, Nickeson, Jaime, Cosh, Michael, Bolten, John, Vereecken, Harry, Montzka, Carsten Brightness Temperature, Microwave Imagery, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Vegetation Water Content, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Emissivity, Land Surface Temperature, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Albedo, Anisotropy, Reflectance, Sea Surface Temperature
The role of aerodynamic resistance in thermal remote sensing-based evapotranspiration models Trebs, Ivonne, Mallick, Kaniska, Bhattarai, Nishan, Sulis, Mauro, Cleverly, Jamie, Woodgate, William, Silberstein, Richard, Hinko-Najera, Nina, Beringer, Jason, Meyer, Wayne S., Su, Zhongbo, Boulet, Gilles Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Predicting light regime controls on primary productivity across CONUS river networks Savoy, Phil, Harvey, Judson W. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Prototyping of LAI and FPAR Retrievals From GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Chen, Yepei, Sun, Kaimin, Li, Wenzhuo, Chen, Chi, Li, Pengfei, Bai, Ting, Park, Taejin, Wang, Weile, Nemani, Ramakrishna R., Myneni, Ranga B. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Reflectance, Snow Grain Size, Snow Cover
Contrasting CO(2)and water vapour fluxes in dry forest and pasture sites Nosetto, Marcelo D., Luna Toledo, Emanuel, Magliano, Patricio N., Figuerola, Patricia, Blanco, Lisandro J., Jobbagy, Esteban G. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity
Determining the dry boundary of the LST/FVC space for soil moisture monitoringa semi-empirical method Sun, Hao, Ma, Liru, Wang, Yanmei, Zhou, Baichi, Liu, Weihan, Cai, Chuangchuang, Zhou, Wei, Chen, Wei Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance, Anisotropy, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity
Evaluation of the version 5.0 global land surface satellite (GLASS) leaf area index product derived from MODIS data Li, Juan, Xiao, Zhiqiang Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Hydrometeorological sensitivities of net ecosystem carbon dioxide and methane exchange of an Amazonian palm swamp peatland Griffis, T.J., Roman, D.T., Wood, J.D., Deventer, J., Fachin, L., Rengifo, J., Del Castillo, D., Lilleskov, E., Kolka, R., Chimner, R.A., del Aguila-Pasquel, J., Wayson, C., Hergoualc'h, K., Baker, J.M., Cadillo-Quiroz, H., Ricciuto, D.M. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Impact of Bias-Correction Methods in Assessing the Potential Flood Frequency Change in the Bago River Acierto, Ralph Allen E., Kawasaki, Akiyuki, Zin, Win Win Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Greening trends of Southern China confirmed by GRACE Chang, Le, Sun, Wenke Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Importance of the Collection of Abundant GroundTruth Data for Accurate Detection of Spatial and Temporal Variability of Vegetation by Satellite Remote Sensing Nagai, Shin, Nasahara, Kenlo Nishida, Akitsu, Tomoko Kawaguchi, Saitoh, Taku M., Muraoka, Hiroyuki Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Impact of frozen soil changes on vegetation phenology in the source region of the Yellow River from 2003 to 2015 Gao, Bing, Li, Jie, Wang, Xiaoshu Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Impact of land cover and leaf area index on BVOC emissions over the Korean Peninsula Jang, Youjung, Eo, Yangdam, Jang, Meongdo, Woo, Jung-Hun, Kim, Younha, Lee, Jae-Bum, Lim, Jae-Hyun Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Impact of revegetation of the Loess Plateau of China on the regional growing season water balance Ge, Jun, Pitman, Andrew J., Guo, Weidong, Zan, Beilei, Fu, Congbin Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation
Integrated modelling to assess climate change impacts on groundwater and surface water in the Great Lakes Basin using diverse climate forcing Persaud, Elisha, Levison, Jana, MacRitchie, Scott, Berg, Steven J., Erler, Andre R., Parker, Beth, Sudicky, Edward Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
A framework for harmonizing multiple satellite instruments to generate a long-term global high spatial-resolution solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) Wen, J., Kohler, P., Duveiller, G., Parazoo, N.C., Magney, T.S., Hooker, G., Yu, L., Chang, C.Y., Sun, Y. Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Albedo, Anisotropy, Reflectance, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Heat Flux, Liquid Precipitation, Snow/Ice
Discrepancies in the simulated global terrestrial latent heat flux from GLASS and MERRA-2 surface net radiation products Guo, Xiaozheng, Yao, Yunjun, Zhang, Yuhu, Lin, Yi, Jiang, Bo, Jia, Kun, Zhang, Xiaotong, Xie, Xianhong, Zhang, Lilin, Shang, Ke, Yang, Junming, Bei, Xiangyi Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation
Downscaling of MODIS leaf area index using landsat vegetation index Ovakoglou, Georgios, Alexandridis, Thomas K., Clevers, Jan G.P.W, Gitas, Ioannis Z. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
You're viewing 375 of 461