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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
2956255
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: 2026-06-08

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
Spatiotemporal variability of Canadian High Arctic glacier surface albedo from MODIS data, 20012016 Mortimer, Colleen A., Sharp, Martin Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Albedo, Anisotropy
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
Towards Estimating Land Evaporation at Field Scales Using GLEAM Martens, Brecht, De Jeu, Richard A. M., Verhoest, Niko E. C., Schuurmans, Hanneke, Kleijer, Jonne, Miralles, Diego G. Canopy Characteristics, Evergreen Vegetation, Crown, Deciduous Vegetation, Leaf Characteristics, Vegetation Cover, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Albedo, Anisotropy
Albedo changes after fire as an explanation of fire-induced rainfall suppression Saha, Michael V., D'Odorico, Paolo, Scanlon, Todd M. Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Albedo, Anisotropy
Albedo, Land Cover, and Daytime Surface Temperature Variation Across an Urbanized Landscape Trlica, A., Hutyra, L. R., Schaaf, C. L., Erb, A., Wang, J. A. Albedo, Anisotropy
Impact of MODIS sensor calibration updates on Greenland Ice Sheet surface reflectance and albedo trends Casey, Kimberly A., Polashenski, Chris M., Chen, Justin, Tedesco, Marco Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy
Evaluation of MODIS Albedo Product over Ice Caps in Iceland and Impact of Volcanic Eruptions on Their Albedo Gascoin, Simon, Gumundsson, Sverrir, Aalgeirsdottir, Gufinna, Palsson, Finnur, Schmidt, Louise, Berthier, Etienne, Bjornsson, Helgi Albedo, Anisotropy
Evaluation of satellite remote sensing albedo retrievals over the ablation area of the southwestern Greenland ice sheet Moustafa, Samiah E., Rennermalm, Asa K., Roman, Miguel O., Wang, Zhuosen, Schaaf, Crystal B., Smith, Laurence C., Koenig, Lora S., Erb, Angela Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy, VISIBLE IMAGERY
Simultaneous inversion of multiple land surface parameters from MODIS opticalthermal observations Ma, Han, Liang, Shunlin, Xiao, Zhiqiang, Shi, Hanyu Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Albedo, Anisotropy
The importance of accurate glacier albedo for estimates of surface mass balance on Vatnajokull: evaluating the surface energy budget in a regional climate model with ... Schmidt, Louise Steffensen, Aalgeirsdottir, Gufinna, Gumundsson, Sverrir, Langen, Peter L., Palsson, Finnur, Mottram, Ruth, Gascoin, Simon, Bjornsson, Helgi Albedo, Anisotropy
Spatial, seasonal, and topographical patterns of surface albedo in Norwegian forests and cropland Cherubini, Francesco, Vezhapparambu, Sajith, Bogren, Wiley, Astrup, Rasmus, Strmman, Anders Hammer Albedo, Anisotropy
Upscaling in situ albedo for validation of coarse scale albedo product over heterogeneous surfaces Wu, Xiaodan, Xiao, Qing, Wen, Jianguang, Liu, Qiang, You, Dongqin, Dou, Baocheng, Tang, Yong Albedo, Anisotropy
A time domain triangle method approach to estimate actual evapotranspirationapplication in a Mediterranean region using MODIS and MSG-SEVIRI products Minacapilli, Mario, Consoli, Simona, Vanella, Daniela, Ciraolo, Giuseppe, Motisi, Antonio Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Albedo, Anisotropy
Effect of land cover change on snow free surface albedo across the continental United States Wickham, J., Nash, M.S., Barnes, C.A. Albedo, Anisotropy
Estimation of daily solar radiation budget at kilometer resolution over the Tibetan Plateau by integrating MODIS data products and a DEM Roupioz, Laure, Jia, Li, Nerry, Francoise, Menenti, Massimo Albedo, Anisotropy
Fire disturbance effects on land surface albedo in Alaskan tundra French, Nancy H. F., Whitley, Matthew A., Jenkins, Liza K. Albedo, Anisotropy
The accuracy of satellite-derived albedo for northern alpine and glaciated land covers Williamson, Scott N., Copland, Luke, Hik, David S. Albedo, Anisotropy
A framework for consistent estimation of leaf area index, fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation, and surface albedo from MODIS time-series data Xiao, Zhiqiang, Liang, Shunlin, Wang, Jindi, Xie, Donghui, Song, Jinling, Fensholt, Rasmus Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Albedo, Anisotropy
Combining NLCD and MODIS to create a land cover-albedo database for the continental United States Wickham, J., Barnes, C.A., Nash, M.S., Wade, T.G. Albedo, Anisotropy
The MODIS (collection V006) BRIDF/albedo product MCD43Dtemporal course evaluated over agricultural landscape Mira, Maria, Weiss, Marie, Baret, Frederic, Courault, Dominique, Hagolle, Olivier, Gallego-Elvira, Belen, Olioso, Albert Albedo, Anisotropy, Reflectance
Spatial scaling of reflectance and surface albedo over a mixed-use, temperate forest landscape during snow-covered periods Burakowski, Elizabeth A., Ollinger, Scott V., Lepine, Lucie, Schaaf, Crystal B., Wang, Zhuosen, Dibb, Jack E., Hollinger, David Y., Kim, JiHyun, Erb, Angel, Martin, Mary Albedo, Anisotropy
Albedo decline on Greenland's Mittivakkat Gletscher in a warming climate Mernild, Sebastian H., Malmros, Jeppe K., Yde, Jacob C., Wilson, Ryan, Knudsen, Niels T., Hanna, Edward, Fausto, Robert S., van As, Dirk Albedo, Anisotropy
An approach for the long-term 30-m land surface snow-free albedo retrieval from historic Landsat surface reflectance and MODIS-based a priori anisotropy knowledge Shuai, Yanmin, Masek, Jeffrey G., Gao, Feng, Schaaf, Crystal B., He, Tao Albedo, Anisotropy
Combining MODIS and AMSR-E observations to improve MCD43A3 short-time snow-covered Albedo estimation Xue, Huazhu, Wang, Jindi, Xiao, Zhiqiang, Chen, Ping, Liu, Yan Albedo, Anisotropy
Modifying SEBAL model based on the trapezoidal relationship between land surface temperature and vegetation index for actual evapotranspiration estimation Wang, Xiao-Gang, Wang, Wen, Huang, Dui, Yong, Bin, Chen, Xi Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Albedo, Anisotropy
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