Skip to main content

Description

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MCD43A3 Version 6.1 Albedo Model dataset is produced daily using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS data at 500 meter (m) resolution. Data are temporally weighted to the ninth day of the 16 day which is reflected in the Julian date in the file name.

Users are urged to use the band specific quality flags to isolate the highest quality full inversion results for their own science applications as described in the User Guide.

The MCD43A3 provides black-sky albedo (directional hemispherical reflectance) and white-sky albedo (bihemispherical reflectance) data at local solar noon for MODIS bands 1 through 7 and the visible, near infrared (NIR), and shortwave bands. Along with the albedo layers are the simplified mandatory quality layers for each of the 10 bands. Essential quality information provided in the corresponding MCD43A2 data file should be consulted when using this product.

Known Issues

Version Description

The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to MODIS Version 6.1 BRDF/Albedo Model Parameters 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
2000-02-16 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) ,
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
C2278860820-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
2980089
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Albedo ,
Anisotropy

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. (2021). MODIS/Terra+Aqua BRDF/Albedo Daily L3 Global - 500m V061 [Dataset]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD43A3.061 Date Accessed: 2026-08-25

File Naming Convention

MCD43A3.A2025212.h11v12.061.2025221032740.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MCD43A3) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025212), the Tile Identifier which is horizontal tile and vertical tile provided as hXXvYY (h11v12), the Version of the data collection (061), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025221032740), 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
Analysis of spatiotemporal changes and driving factors of desertification in the Africa Sahel Yang, Zuowei, Gao, Xin, Lei, Jiaqiang, Meng, Xiaoyu, Zhou, Na Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy
An integrated assessment on the warming effects of urbanization and agriculture in highly developed urban agglomerations of China Yan, Zhangmei, Zhou, Decheng, Li, Yu, Zhang, Liangxia Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Albedo, Anisotropy, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
A stratified environmental reference system for better understanding of the relationship between remote sensing observations and ground monitoring of karst rocky desertification Xu, Erqi, Zhang, Hongqi Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Albedo, Anisotropy
A Structural Equation Modeling Approach to Disentangling Regional-Scale Landscape Dynamics in Ghana Peeling, Julie A., Singh, Aditya, Judge, Jasmeet Albedo, Anisotropy, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Forest Management
A Geometry-Discrete Minimum Reflectance Aerosol Retrieval Algorithm Zhang, Tianhao, Wang, Lunche, Zhao, Bin, Gu, Yu, Wong, Man Sing, She, Lu, Xia, Xinghui, Dong, Jiadan, Ji, Yuxi, Gong, Wei, Zhu, Zhongmin Albedo, Anisotropy
A GeoNEX-based high spatiotemporal resolution product of land surface downward shortwave radiation and photosynthetically active radiation Li, Ruohan, Wang, Dongdong, Wang, Weile, Nemani, Ramakrishna 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, Albedo, Anisotropy
BushfireInduced Water Balance Changes Detected by a Modified Paired Catchment Method Xu, Zhenwu, Zhang, Yongqiang, Zhang, Xuanze, Ma, Ning, Tian, Jing, Kong, Dongdong, Post, David Surface Pressure, Heat Flux, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Surface Temperature, Humidity, Evapotranspiration, Surface Winds, Rain, Precipitation Rate, Snow, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Soil Temperature, Land Surface Temperature, Snow Water Equivalent, Runoff, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Latent Heat Flux, Albedo, Anisotropy
Asymmetric daytime and nighttime surface temperature feedback induced by crop greening across Northeast China Yu, Lingxue, Liu, Ye, Yang, Jiuchun, Liu, Tingxiang, Bu, Kun, Li, Guangshuai, Jiao, Yue, Zhang, Shuwen Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Albedo, Anisotropy
Columnar aerosol optical depth, water vapor and ozone over a semi-arid urban location of western India: Potential sources and direct radiative effects Godhani, Nimit, Joshi, HP, Jana, Soumyajyoti, Gogoi, Mukunda M, Suresh Babu, S. Albedo, Anisotropy
Combining models for animal tracking: Defining behavioural states to Peters, Natasha M., Beale, Colin M., Bracebridge, Claire, Mgumba, Msafiri P., Kendall, Corinne J. Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Albedo, Anisotropy
Climatic legacy effects on the drought response of the Amazon rainforest Van Passel, Johanna, de Keersmaecker, Wanda, Bernardino, Paulo N., Jing, Xin, Umlauf, Nikolaus, Van Meerbeek, Koenraad, Somers, Ben Reflectance, Anisotropy, Albedo, RADAR IMAGERY, Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Topographical Relief Maps, Canopy Characteristics, Evergreen Vegetation, Crown, Deciduous Vegetation, Leaf Characteristics, Vegetation Cover, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Burned Area
Determining the accuracy of the Landsat-based land continuous variable estimator Ma, Han, Xiong, Changhao, Liang, Shunlin, Zhu, Zhiliang, Song, Jinling, Zhang, Yufang, He, Tao Albedo, Anisotropy, Primary Production, Respiration Rate, Biomass, Canopy Characteristics
Development of a Clear-Sky 3D Sub-Grid Terrain Solar Radiative Effect Huang, Anning, Gu, Chunlei, Zhang, Yaocun, Li, Weiping, Zhang, Lujun, Wu, Yang, Zhang, Xindan, Cai, Shuxin Albedo, Anisotropy
Daily spatial complete soil moisture mapping over southeast China using CYGNSS and MODIS data Yang, Ting, Sun, Zhigang, Wang, Jundong, Li, Sen Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy
Effect of the Partitioning of Diffuse and Direct APAR on GPP Estimation Chen, Siyuan, Sui, Lichun, Liu, Liangyun, Liu, Xinjie Albedo, Anisotropy, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance
Distinctive roles of two-and three-dimensional urban structures in surface urban heat islands over the conterminous United States Cao, Shisong, Weng, Qihao, Lu, Linlin Population Density, Albedo, Anisotropy
Heat wave-induced augmentation of surface urban heat islands strongly regulated by rural background Miao, Shiqi, Zhan, Wenfeng, Lai, Jiameng, Li, Long, Du, Huilin, Wang, Chenguang, Wang, Chunli, Li, Jiufeng, Huang, Fan, Liu, Zihan, Dong, Pan Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Albedo, Anisotropy
Heat-prone neighbourhood typologies of European cities with temperate climate Wu, Yehan, Mashhoodi, Bardia, Patuano, Agnes, Lenzholzer, Sanda, Narvaez Zertuche, Laura, Acred, Andy Canopy Characteristics, Evergreen Vegetation, Crown, Deciduous Vegetation, Leaf Characteristics, Vegetation Cover, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Albedo, Anisotropy
Impact of BRDF spatiotemporal smoothing on land surface albedo estimation Yang, Jian, Shuai, Yanmin, Duan, Junbo, Xie, Donghui, Zhang, Qingling, Zhao, Ruishan Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy, Land Use/Land Cover Classification
Impacts of burn severity on short-term postfire vegetation recovery, surface albedo, and land surface temperature in California ecoregions Rother, David E., De Sales, Fernando, Stow, Doug, McFadden, Joe Albedo, Anisotropy, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Impacts of sub-grid topographic representations on surface energy balance and boundary conditions in the E3SM land modelA case study in Sierra Nevada Hao, Dalei, Bisht, Gautam, Huang, Meng, Ma, PoLun, Tesfa, Teklu, Lee, WeiLiang, Gu, Yu, Leung, L. Ruby Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Albedo, Anisotropy, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Land Use/Land Cover Classification
Integrated influencing mechanism of potential drivers on seasonal variability of LST in Kolkata municipal corporation, India Bera, Dipankar, Das Chatterjee, Nilanjana, Mumtaz, Faisal, Dinda, Santanu, Ghosh, Subrata, Zhao, Na, Bera, Sudip, Tariq, Aqil RADAR IMAGERY, Terrain Elevation, Topographical Relief Maps, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Albedo, Anisotropy
Mid-summer snow-free albedo across the Arctic tundra was mostly stable or increased over the past two decades Plekhanova, Elena, Kim, Jin-Soo, Oehri, Jacqueline, Erb, Angela, Schaaf, Crystal, Schaepman-Strub, Gabriela Albedo, Anisotropy
Local climate impacts from ongoing restoration of a peatland Worrall, Fred, Howden, Nicholas J. K., Burt, Tim P., RicoRamirez, Miguel A., Kohler, Tim Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Albedo, Anisotropy
Irrigation and warming drive the decreases in surface albedo over High Mountain Asia Maina, Fadji Z., Kumar, Sujay V., Gangodagamage, Chandana Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Snow Cover, Snow Cover, Plant Phenology, Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
You're viewing 150 of 334