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Description

The MOD16A2 Version 6.1 Evapotranspiration/Latent Heat Flux product is an 8-day composite dataset produced at 500 meter (m) pixel resolution. The algorithm used for the MOD16 data product collection is based on the logic of the Penman-Monteith equation, which includes inputs of daily meteorological reanalysis data along with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) remotely sensed data products such as vegetation property dynamics, albedo, and land cover.

Provided in the MOD16A2 product are layers for composited Evapotranspiration (ET), Latent Heat Flux (LE), Potential ET (PET) and Potential LE (PLE) along with a quality control layer. Two low resolution browse images, ET and LE, are also available for each MOD16A2 granule.

The pixel values for the two Evapotranspiration layers (ET and PET) are the sum of all eight days within the composite period and the pixel values for the two Latent Heat layers (LE and PLE) are the average of all eight days within the composite period. Note that the last acquisition period of each year is a 5 or 6-day composite period, depending on the year.

Known Issues

Version Description

The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to MODIS Version 6.1 net evapotranspiration 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, (2) A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB), and (3) The product uses Climatology Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) as back up to the operational LAI/FPAR.

Product Summary

Platforms
Terra
Instruments
MODIS
Projects
TERRA
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
2021-01-01 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
C2343113232-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
71506
Processing Level
4
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Evapotranspiration ,
Latent Heat Flux

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

Running, S., Mu, Q., & Zhao, M. (2021). MODIS/Terra Net Evapotranspiration 8-Day L4 Global 500m SIN Grid V061 [Dataset]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD16A2.061 Date Accessed: 2026-07-06

File Naming Convention

MOD16A2.A2025201.h07v05.061.2025217003056.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MOD16A2) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025201), the Tile Identifier which is horizontal tile and vertical tile provided as hXXvYY (h07v05), the Version of the data collection (061), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025217003056), 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
Runoff from glacier ice and seasonal snow in High Asia: separating melt water sources in river flow Armstrong, Richard L., Rittger, Karl, Brodzik, Mary J., Racoviteanu, Adina, Barrett, Andrew P., Khalsa, Siri-Jodha Singh, Raup, Bruce, Hill, Alice F., Khan, Alia L., Wilson, Alana M., Kayastha, Rijan Bhakta, Fetterer, Florence, Armstrong, Betsy Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps, RADAR IMAGERY, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Revegetation has increased ecosystem water-use efficiency during 20002014 in the Chinese Loess PlateauEvidence from satellite data Zheng, Han, Lin, Henry, Zhou, Weijian, Bao, Han, Zhu, Xianjin, Jin, Zhao, Song, Yi, Wang, Yunqiang, Liu, Wenzhao, Tang, Yakun Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Responses of ecosystem water use efficiency to meteorological drought under different biomes and drought magnitudes in northern China Xu, Hao-jie, Wang, Xin-ping, Zhao, Chuan-yan, Zhang, Xiao-xiao Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Recovering evapotranspiration trends from biased CMIP5 simulations and sensitivity to changing climate over North America Sullivan, Ryan C., Kotamarthi, V. Rao, Feng, Yan Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Albedo, Anisotropy
Regional Multivariate Indices of Water Use Potential for the Continental White, Jonah D., Mack, Elizabeth A., Harlan, Sharon L., Krayenhoff, E. Scott, Georgescu, Matei, Redican, Kyle Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Potential of the remotely-derived products in monitoring ecosystem water Wei, Jin, Chen, Yanan, Gu, Qing, Jiang, Chongya, Ma, Mingguo, Song, Lisheng, Tang, Xuguang Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Monitoring effects of land cover change on biophysical drivers in rangelands using albedo Munch, Zahn, Gibson, Lesley, Palmer, Anthony Reflectance, Anisotropy, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Albedo
The Performance of Satellite-Based Actual Evapotranspiration Products Ayyad, Saher, Al Zayed, Islam S., Ha, Van Tran Thi, Ribbe, Lars Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
The influence of water table depth on evapotranspiration in the Amazon arc of deforestation O'Connor, John, Santos, Maria J., Rebel, Karin T., Dekker, Stefan C. Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
The impact of artificial wetland expansion on local temperature in the growing seasonThe case study of the Sanjiang Plain, China Yu, Lingxue, Liu, Tingxiang Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Albedo, Anisotropy
Simulation of evapotranspiration based on leaf area index, precipitation and pan evaporationA case study of Poyang Lake watershed, China Bian, Zihao, Gu, Yan, Zhao, Jing, Pan, Ye, Li, Yongtai, Zeng, Chunfen, Wang, Lachun Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Reflectance, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Seasonal components of freshwater runoff in Glacier Bay, Alaska: Diverse spatial patterns and temporal change Crumley, Ryan L., Hill, David F., Beamer, Jordan P., Holzenthal, Elizabeth R. Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Spatiotemporal patterns of terrestrial evapotranspiration in response to climate and vegetation coverage changes across the Chinese Loess Plateau Zheng, Han, Lin, Henry, Zhu, Xianjin Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Photosynthesis, Primary Production
Water balance in a neotropical forest catchment of southeastern Brazil Mello, Carlos R., Avila, Leo F., Lin, Henry, Terra, Marcela C.N.S., Chappell, Nick A. Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Time-series dataset on land surface temperature, vegetation, built up areas and other climatic factors in top 20 global cities (20002018) Jamei, Yashar, Rajagopalan, Priyadarsini, Sun, Qian Chayn Total Surface Precipitation Rate, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Reflectance, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Thermodynamic approach to satellite mapping of accumulated ecological losses of forest ecosystems Scientific Research Center for Ecological Safety RAS, Gornyy, V.I., Kiselev, A.V., Kritsuk, S.G., Latypov, I.Sh., Tronin, A.A. Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
A coupled surface-subsurface hydrologic model to assess groundwater flood risk spatially and temporally Yu, Xuan, Moraetis, Daniel, Nikolaidis, Nikolaos P., Li, Bailing, Duffy, Christopher, Liu, Bingjun Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Coupled estimation of 500 m and 8-day resolution global evapotranspiration and gross primary production in 20022017 Zhang, Yongqiang, Kong, Dongdong, Gan, Rong, Chiew, Francis H.S., McVicar, Tim R., Zhang, Qiang, Yang, Yuting Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Evapotranspiration, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Latent Heat Flux, Surface Pressure, Heat Flux, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Surface Temperature, Humidity, Surface Winds, Rain, Precipitation Rate, Snow, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Soil Temperature, Snow Water Equivalent, Runoff, Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy, Vegetation Productivity
Corrigendum toEcohydrological responses to rewetting of a highly impacted raised bog ecosystem (Ecohydrology, (2018), 11, 1, (e1922), 10.1002/eco.1922) D'Acunha, Brenda, Lee, SungChing, Johnson, Mark S. Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Does land use change affect green space water use? An analysis of the Haihe River Basin Zhao, Yu, Zhang, Xuanchang, Bai, Yang, Mi, Feng Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Dynamics of evapotranspiration over a non-irrigated alfalfa field in the Southern Great Plains of the United States Wagle, Pradeep, Gowda, Prasanna H., Northup, Brian K. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Plant Phenology
Contrasting the Performance of Eight Satellite-Based GPP Models in Zhang, Liangxia, Zhou, Decheng, Fan, Jiangwen, Guo, Qun, Chen, Shiping, Wang, Ranghui, Li, Yuzhe Reflectance, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Determinants of the ratio of actual to potential evapotranspiration Peng, Liqing, Zeng, Zhenzhong, Wei, Zhongwang, Chen, Anping, Wood, Eric F., Sheffield, Justin Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Shrubland/Scrub, Wetlands, Ecosystem Functions, Agricultural Lands, Alpine/Tundra, Forests, Grasslands, Savannas, Carbon, Leaf Characteristics
Detecting Winter Wheat Irrigation Signals Using SMAP Gridded Soil Hao, Zhen, Zhao, Hongli, Zhang, Chi, Wang, Hao, Jiang, Yunzhong Reflectance, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
An online deep convolutional model of gross primary productivity and net ecosystem exchange estimation for global forests Wu, Wenjin, Gong, Chen, Li, Xinwu, Guo, Huadong, Zhang, Lu Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
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