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Description

The Terra and Aqua combined MCD64A1 Version 6.1 Burned Area data product is a monthly, global gridded 500 meter (m) product containing per-pixel burned-area and quality information. The MCD64A1 burned-area mapping approach employs 500 m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Surface Reflectance imagery coupled with 1 kilometer (km) MODIS active fire observations. The algorithm uses a burn sensitive Vegetation Index (VI) to create dynamic thresholds that are applied to the composite data. The VI is derived from MODIS shortwave infrared atmospherically corrected surface reflectance bands 5 and 7 with a measure of temporal texture. The algorithm identifies the date of burn for the 500 m grid cells within each individual MODIS tile. The date is encoded in a single data layer as the ordinal day of the calendar year on which the burn occurred with values assigned to unburned land pixels and additional special values reserved for missing data and water grid cells.

The data layers provided in the MCD64A1 product include Burn Date, Burn Data Uncertainty, Quality Assurance, along with First Day and Last Day of reliable change detection of the year.

Known Issues

Version Description

The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to MODIS Version 6.1 Burned Area 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
2000-11-01 to Present
Temporal Resolution
1 Month
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
C2565786756-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
81460
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Fire Ecology ,
Biomass Burning ,
Wildfires ,
Fire Occurrence ,
Burned Area

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

Giglio, L., Justice, C., Boschetti, L., & Roy, D. (2021). MODIS/Terra+Aqua Burned Area Monthly L3 Global 500m SIN Grid V061 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD64A1.061 Date Accessed: 2026-05-20

File Naming Convention

MCD64A1.A2025152.h06v03.061.2025220161136.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MCD64A1) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025152), the Tile Identifier which is horizontal tile and vertical tile provided as hXXvYY (h06v03), the Version of the data collection (061), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025220161136), and the Data Format (hdf).

Documents

USER'S GUIDE

ALGORITHM THEORETICAL BASIS DOCUMENT (ATBD)

PRODUCT QUALITY ASSESSMENT

SCIENCE DATA PRODUCT VALIDATION

GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

Use Worldview to Determine Fire Affected Areas in NRT Using MODIS and VIIRS

This tutorial shows how using Worldview, MODIS Bands 7-2-1 and VIIRS M11-I2-I1 Corrected Reflectance Imagery can be viewed in combination with the active fire data to identify fire-affected areas that are characterized by deposits of charcoal and ash, removal of vegetation and/or alteration of vegetation structure.
Tutorial
Aug. 26, 2013
MODIS 7-2-1

FIRMS - Use ArcGIS to Determine Fire Affected Areas in NRT Using MODIS and VIIRS

This tutorial shows how using ArcGIS Pro, MODIS Bands 7-2-1 and VIIRS M11-I2-I1 Corrected Reflectance Imagery can be viewed in combination with the active fire data to identify fire-affected areas that are characterized by deposits of charcoal and ash, removal of vegetation and/or alteration of vegetation structure.
Tutorial
Aug. 26, 2013
SHOWING 3 OF 3

Publications Citing This Dataset

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Title Year Author Topic
Exploring the Spatio-Temporal characteristics of vegetative wildfire damage and recovery in the African World Natural Heritage Sites Chengling, Tang, Lizhen, Lu Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Grasslands half-full: investigating drivers of spatial heterogeneity in Rastogi, S., Chanchani, P., Sankaran, M., Warrier, R. Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Albedo, Anisotropy
Biogeographic variability in wildfire severity and post-fire vegetation recovery across the European forests via remote sensing-derived spectral metrics Nole, Angelo, Rita, Angelo, Spatola, Maria Floriana, Borghetti, Marco Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Reflectance, Anisotropy, Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
California wildfire spread derived using VIIRS satellite observations and an object-based tracking system Chen, Yang, Hantson, Stijn, Andela, Niels, Coffield, Shane R., Graff, Casey A., Morton, Douglas C., Ott, Lesley E., Foufoula-Georgiou, Efi, Smyth, Padhraic, Goulden, Michael L., Randerson, James T. Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Australian fire nourishes ocean phytoplankton bloom Wang, Yuntao, Chen, Huan-Huan, Tang, Rui, He, Ding, Lee, Zhongping, Xue, Huijie, Wells, Mark, Boss, Emmanuel, Chai, Fei Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Assessing the accuracy of MODIS MCD64A1 C6 and FireCCI51 burned area products in Mediterranean ecosystems Katagis, Thomas, Gitas, Ioannis Z. Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Reflectance, Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Land Surface Temperature, Surface Thermal Properties, THERMAL ANOMALIES
Lightning patterns in the PantanalUntangling natural and anthropogenic-induced wildfires Menezes, Lucas S., de Oliveira, Aline M., Santos, Filippe L.M., Russo, Ana, de Souza, Rodrigo A.F., Roque, Fabio O., Libonati, Renata Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Study of the influence of fire radiative power of forest fires on forest disturbance degree in southern regions of Central Siberia using satellite data Krasnoyarsk Science Center SB RAS; Khakassian State University, Shvetsov, E.G. Reflectance, Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
The New Transamazonian Highway: BR-319 and Its Current Environmental Degradation Lima, Mendelson, Santana, Dthenifer Cordeiro, Junior, Ismael Cavalcante Maciel, Costa, Patricia Monique Crivelari da, Oliveira, Pedro Paulo Gomes de, Azevedo, Raul Pio de, Silva, Rogerio de Souza, Marinho, Ubiranei de Freitas, Silva, Valdinete da, Souza, Juliana Aparecida Arantes de, Rossi, Fernando Saragosa, Delgado, Rafael Coll, Teodoro, Larissa Pereira Ribeiro, Teodoro, Paulo Eduardo, Silva Junior, Carlos Antonio da Land Surface Temperature, Fire Occurrence, Surface Thermal Properties, THERMAL ANOMALIES, Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Burned Area
Twenty-year impact of fire foci and its relationship with climate variables in Brazilian regions Teodoro, Paulo Eduardo, da Silva Junior, Carlos Antonio, Delgado, Rafael Coll, Lima, Mendelson, Teodoro, Larissa Pereira Ribeiro, Baio, Fabio Henrique Rojo, de Azevedo, Gileno Brito, de Oliveira Sousa Azevedo, Glauce Tas, de Andrea Pantaleao, Ariane, Capristo-Silva, Guilherme Fernando, Facco, Cassiele Uliana Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity
Using long temporal reference units to assess the spatial accuracy of global satellite-derived burned area products Franquesa, Magi, Lizundia-Loiola, Joshua, Stehman, Stephen V., Chuvieco, Emilio Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Reflectance
Unprecedented fire activity above the Arctic Circle linked to rising temperatures Descals, Adria, Gaveau, David L. A., Verger, Aleixandre, Sheil, Douglas, Naito, Daisuke, Penuelas, Josep Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity
The influence of contrasting fire management practice on bush encroachmentLessons from Bwabwata National Park, Namibia Eastment, Conor, Humphrey, Glynis, Hoffman, Michael Timm, Gillson, Lindsey Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Too much, too late: fires and reactive wildfire management in northern Botswana's forests and woodland savannas Cassidy, L, Perkins, JS, Bradley, J Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Permafrost thaw drives surface water decline across lake-rich regions of the Arctic Webb, Elizabeth E., Liljedahl, Anna K., Cordeiro, Jada A., Loranty, Michael M., Witharana, Chandi, Lichstein, Jeremy W. Reflectance, Anisotropy, Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Landscape Processes, Permafrost, Carbon, Periglacial Processes, Topography
Wildfireatmosphere interaction index for extreme-fire behaviour Artes, Tomas, Castellnou, Marc, Houston Durrant, Tracy, San-Miguel, Jesus Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Wildfires in the Siberian Arctic Kharuk, Viacheslav I., Dvinskaya, Maria L., Im, Sergei T., Golyukov, Alexei S., Smith, Kevin T. Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
Wildland urban interface of the City of Cape Town 19902019 Christ, Sven, Schwarz, Nina, Sliuzas, Richard Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Wildfire dynamics along a north-central Siberian latitudinal transect assessed using Landsat imagery Dvornikov, Yury, Novenko, Elena, Korets, Mikhail, Olchev, Alexander Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Wildfire Pollution Exposure and Human Health: A Growing Air Quality and Public Health Issue Sengupta, Srijan, Aneja, Viney P., Kravchenko, Julia Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Quasi-experimental analysis of new mining developments as a driver of deforestation in Zambia Morley, Jonathan, Buchanan, Graeme, Mitchard, Edward T. A., Keane, Aidan Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Quantifying Post-Fire Changes in the Aboveground Biomass of an Amazonian Pontes-Lopes, Aline, Dalagnol, Ricardo, Dutra, Andeise Cerqueira, de Jesus Silva, Camila Valeria, de Alencastro Graca, Paulo Mauricio Lima, de Oliveira e Cruz de Aragao, Luiz Eduardo Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Reassessment of carbon emissions from fires and a new estimate of net carbon uptake in Russian forests in 20012021 Romanov, Aleksey A., Tamarovskaya, Anastasia N., Gloor, Emanuel, Brienen, Roel, Gusev, Boris A., Leonenko, Egor V., Vasiliev, Alexander S., Krikunov, Elijah E. Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Cross-scale monitoring of habitat suitability changes using satellite time series and ecological niche models Arenas-Castro, Salvador, Sillero, Neftali Reflectance, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
Development of a consistent global long-term burned area product (1982-2018) based on AVHRR-LTDR data Oton, Gonzalo, Lizundia-Loiola, Joshua, Pettinari, M. Lucrecia, Chuvieco, Emilio Fire Ecology, Biomass Burning, Wildfires, Fire Occurrence, Burned Area
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