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Description

The MCD15A3H Version 6.1 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Level 4 combined Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) product is a 4-day composite data set 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 4-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
4 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
C2343110937-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
634439
Processing Level
4
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Leaf Characteristics ,
Photosynthetically Active Radiation ,
Leaf Area Index (LAI) ,
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 4-Day L4 Global 500m SIN Grid V061 [Dataset]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD15A3H.061 Date Accessed: 2026-08-23

File Naming Convention

MCD15A3H.A2025213.h11v06.061.2025218033608.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MCD15A3H) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025213), the Tile Identifier which is horizontal tile and vertical tile provided as hXXvYY (h11v06), the Version of the data collection (061), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025218033608), 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
Evaluation of variation in radiative and turbulent fluxes over winter wheat ecosystem along Indo-Gangetic region Pokhariyal, Shweta, Patel, Natvar Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation
Estimation of kilometer-scale heat fluxes over a hilly area in Northern China using an optical-microwave scintillometer Zhang, Gong, Zhang, Jinsong, Meng, Ping Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Greenhouse gas fluxes from Alaska's North Slope inferred from the Airborne Carbon Measurements campaign (ACME-V) Tadic, Jovan M., Miller, Scot, Yadav, Vineet, Biraud, Sebastien C. Population Size, 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), Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, Boundary Layer Winds
Aboveground biomass mapping of crops supported by improved CASA model and Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery Fang, Peng, Yan, Nana, Wei, Panpan, Zhao, Yifan, Zhang, Xiwang Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Analyzing Effects of Crops on SMAP Satellite-Based Soil Moisture Using a RainfallRunoff Model in the U.S. Corn Belt Jadidoleslam, Navid, Hornbuckle, Brian K., Krajewski, Witold F., Mantilla, Ricardo, Cosh, Michael H. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
A seasonally dynamic model of light at the stream surface Savoy, Philip, Bernhardt, Emily, Kirk, Lily, Cohen, Matthew J., Heffernan, James B. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Canopy Characteristics
A pigment ratio index based on remotely sensed reflectance provides the potential for universal gross primary production estimation Wu, W, Epstein, H E, Guo, H, Li, X, Gong, C Reflectance, Reflectance, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Albedo, Anisotropy, Shortwave Radiation, Albedo, Snow Cover
Aerodynamic resistance and Bowen ratio explain the biophysical effects of forest cover on understory air and soil temperatures at the global scale Su, Yongxian, Zhang, Chaoqun, Chen, Xiuzhi, Liu, Liyang, Ciais, Philippe, Peng, Jian, Wu, Shengbiao, Wu, Jianping, Shang, Jiali, Wang, Yingping, Yuan, Wenping, Yang, Yuanzhi, Wu, Zhifeng, Lafortezza, Raffaele Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Emissivity, Land Surface Temperature, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Albedo, Anisotropy, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Sea Ice Concentration, Snow Cover
A Threshold Method for Robust and Fast Estimation of Land-Surface Descals, Adria, Verger, Aleixandre, Yin, Gaofei, Penuelas, Josep Reflectance, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
A multiple species, continent-wide, million-phenotype agronomic plant dataset Newman, Saul Justin, Furbank, Robert T. Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
A meteorological-based crop coefficient model for estimation of daily Varmaghani, Arman, Eichinger, William E., Prueger, John H. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
A Method to Assess the Performance of SAR-Derived Surface Soil Moisture Beale, John, Waine, Toby, Evans, Jonathan, Corstanje, Ronald Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
A data-driven approach to estimate leaf area index for Landsat images over the contiguous US Kang, Yanghui, Ozdogan, Mutlu, Gao, Feng, Anderson, Martha C., White, William A., Yang, Yun, Yang, Yang, Erickson, Tyler A. Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Analyzing NPP Response of Different Rangeland Types to Climatic Parameters over Mongolia Nanzad, Lkhagvadorj, Zhang, Jiahua, Batdelger, Gantsetseg, Pangali Sharma, Til Prasad, Koju, Upama Ashish, Wang, Jingwen, Nabil, Mohsen 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)
Assessment of Drought Impact on Net Primary Productivity in the Terrestrial Ecosystems of Mongolia from 2003 to 2018 Nanzad, Lkhagvadorj, Zhang, Jiahua, Tuvdendorj, Battsetseg, Yang, Shanshan, Rinzin, Sonam, Prodhan, Foyez Ahmed, Sharma, Til Prasad Pangali 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)
Biophysical constraints on evapotranspiration partitioning for a conductance-based two source energy balance model Bu, Jingyi, Gan, Guojing, Chen, Jiahao, Su, Yanxin, Garcia, Monica, Gao, Yanchun Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Albedo, Anisotropy
Climate change and deforestation increase the vulnerability of Amazonian De Faria, Bruno L., Staal, Arie, Silva, Carlos A., Martin, Philip A., Panday, Prajjwal K., Dantas, Vinicius L. 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, Wetlands, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Inundation
Challenges and opportunities in precision irrigation decision-support Zhang, Jingwen, Guan, Kaiyu, Peng, Bin, Jiang, Chongya, Zhou, Wang, Yang, Yi, Pan, Ming, Franz, Trenton E, Heeren, Derek M, Rudnick, Daran R, Abimbola, Olufemi, Kimm, Hyungsuk, Caylor, Kelly, Good, Stephen, Khanna, Madhu, Gates, John, Cai, Yaping Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Leaf Characteristics
Carbon response of tundra ecosystems to advancing greenup and snowmelt in Alaska Kim, JiHyun, Kim, Yeonjoo, Zona, Donatella, Oechel, Walter, Park, Sang-Jong, Lee, Bang-Yong, Yi, Yonghong, Erb, Angela, Schaaf, Crystal L. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Plant Phenology, Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Methane, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Soil Depth, Incoming Solar Radiation, Soil Temperature, Snow Depth, Wind Speed, Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, Rain, Humidity, Albedo, Snow Cover
Constraining global terrestrial gross primary productivity in a global carbon assimilation system with OCO-2 chlorophyll fluorescence data Wang, Jun, Jiang, Fei, Wang, Hengmao, Qiu, Bo, Wu, Mousong, He, Wei, Ju, Weimin, Zhang, Yongguang, Chen, Jing M., Zhou, Yanlian Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, Solar Induced Fluorescence
Development of strategy for SWAT hydrologic modeling in data-scarce regions of Peru Daneshvar, Fariborz, Frankenberger, Jane R., Bowling, Laura C., Cherkauer, Keith A., Moraes, Andre G. de Lima Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Development of a Random Forest model for forecasting allergenic pollen in North America Lo, Fiona, Bitz, Cecilia M., Hess, Jeremy J. Geopotential Height, Altitude, Surface Temperature, Skin Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Dew Point Temperature, Air Temperature, Cloud Top Temperature, Atmospheric Winds, Surface Winds, U/V Wind Components, Upper Level Winds, U/V Wind Components, Vertical Wind Velocity/Speed, Atmospheric Pressure, Sea Level Pressure, Cloud Top Pressure, Sea Level Pressure, Surface Pressure, Specific Humidity, Total Precipitable Water, Cloud Liquid Water/Ice, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Atmospheric Ozone, Oxygen Compounds, Boundary Layer Winds, Total Ozone, Precipitation Rate, 24 Hour Maximum Temperature, 24 Hour Minimum Temperature, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Crop Yield Estimation at Gram Panchayat Scale by Integrating Field, Weather and Satellite Data with Crop Simulation Models Milesi, Cristina, Kukunuri, Mallikarjun Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy, Shortwave Radiation, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation
Daily leaf area index from photosynthetically active radiation for long term records of canopy structure and leaf phenology Rogers, Cheryl, Chen, Jing M., Croft, Holly, Gonsamo, Alemu, Luo, Xiangzhong, Bartlett, Paul, Staebler, Ralf M. Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Domain-Guided Machine Learning for Remotely Sensed In-Season Crop Growth Worrall, George, Rangarajan, Anand, Judge, Jasmeet Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
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