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Description

The MOD15A2H Version 6.1 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) combined Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) product is an 8-day composite dataset with 500 meter (m) pixel size. The algorithm chooses the “best” pixel available from all the acquisitions of the Terra sensor from within the 8-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 nanometers (nm), absorbed by the green elements of a vegetation canopy.

Science Datasets (SDSs) in the Level 4 (L4) MOD15A2H product include LAI, FPAR, two quality layers, and standard deviation for LAI and FPAR. Two low resolution browse images, LAI and FPAR, are also available for each MOD15A2H granule.

Known Issues

Version Description

The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to the MODIS Version 6.1 LAI/FPAR data product: (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
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
2000-02-18 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
C2218777082-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
348998
Processing Level
4
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
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 Leaf Area Index/FPAR 8-Day L4 Global 500m SIN Grid V061 [Dataset]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD15A2H.061 Date Accessed: 2026-08-23

File Naming Convention

MOD15A2H.A2025209.h35v09.061.2025218040352.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MOD15A2H) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025209), the Tile Identifier which is horizontal tile and vertical tile provided as hXXvYY (h35v09), the Version of the data collection (061), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025218040352), 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
Machine learning estimates of eddy covariance carbon flux in a scrub in the Mexican highland Guevara-Escobar, Aurelio, Gonzalez-Sosa, Enrique, Cervantes-Jimenez, Monica, Suzan-Azpiri, Humberto, Queijeiro-Bolanos, Monica Elisa, Carrillo-Angeles, Israel, Cambron-Sandoval, Victor Hugo Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Leaf Characteristics, Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Reflectance, Reflectance, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
Isoscape of surface runoff in high mountain catchments: An alternate model for meteoric water characterization and its implications Dasgupta, Bibhasvata, Ajay, Ajay, Kumar, Anurag, Thamban, Meloth, Sanyal, Prasanta Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Total Surface Precipitation Rate
Integration of vulnerability and hazard factors for landslide risk assessment Arrogante-Funes, Patricia, Bruzon, Adrian G., Arrogante-Funes, Fatima, Ramos-Bernal, Rocio N., Vazquez-Jimenez, Rene Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
Integration of remote-sensing based metrics and econometric models to assess the socio-economic contributions of carbon sequestration in unmanaged tropical dry forests Castro-Magnani, Marissa, Sanchez-Azofeifa, Arturo, Metternicht, Graciela, Laakso, Kati Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
Machine learning-based modeling of vegetation leaf area index and gross primary productivity across North America and comparison with a process-based model Zhang, Zhicheng, Xin, Qinchuan, Li, Wanjing Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
Phenology estimation of subtropical bamboo forests based on assimilated MODIS LAI time series data Li, Xuejian, Du, Huaqiang, Zhou, Guomo, Mao, Fangjie, Zhang, Meng, Han, Ning, Fan, Weiliang, Liu, Hua, Huang, ZiHao, He, Shaobai, Mei, Tingting Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Reflectance
Performance stability of the MODIS and VIIRS LAI algorithms inferred from analysis of long time series of products Yan, Kai, Pu, Jiabin, Park, Taejin, Xu, Baodong, Zeng, Yelu, Yan, Guangjian, Weiss, Marie, Knyazikhin, Yuri, Myneni, Ranga B. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation
Rapid eco-physical impact assessment of tropical cyclones using geospatial technology: a case from severe cyclonic storms Amphan Mishra, Manoranjan, Kar, Dipika, Debnath, Manasi, Sahu, Netrananda, Goswami, Shreerup Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Quantifying the contributions of human activities and climate change to Ge, Wenyan, Deng, Liqiang, Wang, Fei, Han, Jianqiao Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
On optimizing a MODIS-based framework for in-season corn yield forecast Medina, Hanoi, Tian, Di, Abebe, Ash Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Prototyping of LAI and FPAR Retrievals From GOES-16 Advanced Baseline Chen, Yepei, Sun, Kaimin, Li, Wenzhuo, Chen, Chi, Li, Pengfei, Bai, Ting, Park, Taejin, Wang, Weile, Nemani, Ramakrishna R., Myneni, Ranga B. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Reflectance, Snow Grain Size, Snow Cover
Leaf area index remote sensing based on Deep Belief Network supported by simulation data Sun, Lin, Wang, Weiyan, Jia, Chen, Liu, Xirong Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Reflectance
Modeling and monitoring wheat crop yield using geospatial techniques: A case study of Potohar region, Pakistan Hassan, Sher Shah, Goheer, Muhammad Arif Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Multi-sensor remote sensing for drought characterization: current status, opportunities and a roadmap for the future Jiao, Wenzhe, Wang, Lixin, McCabe, Matthew F. Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux, Sea Surface Temperature, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation
Multiscale leaf area index assimilation for Moso bamboo forest based on Sentinel-2 and MODIS data Ji, Jiayi, Li, Xuejian, Du, Huaqiang, Mao, Fangjie, Fan, Weiliang, Xu, Yanxin, Huang, Zihao, Wang, Jingyi, Kang, Fangfang Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Plant phenology evaluation of CRESCENDO land surface models - Part 1: Peano, Daniele, Hemming, Deborah, Materia, Stefano, Delire, Christine, Fan, Yuanchao, Joetzjer, Emilie, Lee, Hanna, Nabel, Julia E. M. S., Park, Taejin, Peylin, Philippe, Warlind, David, Wiltshire, Andy, Zaehle, Sonke Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation
Postwildfire soil-hydraulic recovery and the persistence of debris flow hazards Thomas, Matthew A., Rengers, Francis K., Kean, Jason W., McGuire, Luke A., Staley, Dennis M., Barnhart, Katherine R., Ebel, Brian A. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Terrestrial land-cover type richness is positively linked to landscape-level functioning Oehri, Jacqueline, Schmid, Bernhard, Schaepman-Strub, Gabriela, Niklaus, Pascal A. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Albedo, Anisotropy
Temporal validation of four LAI products over grasslands in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau Yin, Gaofei, Li, Ainong, Zhang, Zhengjian, Lei, Guangbin Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Spatio-temporal variability of gross primary productivity in moist and dry deciduous plant functional types of Northwest Himalayan foothills of India using temperature-greenness model Srinet, Ritika, Nandy, Subrata, Watham, Taibanganba, Padalia, Hitendra, Patel, N. R., Chauhan, Prakash Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Spatio-Temporal Variation in AOD and Correlation Analysis with PAR and Li, Xin, Liang, Hongyu, Cheng, Weiming Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
Spatio-temporal evolution, future trend and phenology regularity of net primary productivity of forests in Northeast China Wang, Chunli, Jiang, Qunou, Deng, Xiangzheng, Lv, Kexin, Zhang, Zhonghui Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Reflectance
Spatiotemporal patterns of evapotranspiration, gross primary productivity, and water use efficiency of cropland in agroecosystems and their relation to the water-saving project in the Shiyang River Basin of Northwestern China Tian, Fei, Zhang, Yu Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Sexual modulation in a polyploid grass: A reproductive contest between environmentally inducible sexual and genetically dominant apomictic pathways Karunarathne, Piyal, Reutemann, Anna V., Schedler, Mara, Glucksberg, Adriana, Martinez, Eric J., Honfi, Ana I., Hojsgaard, Diego H. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Simulating the impact of urban surface evapotranspiration on the urban heat Island effect using the modified RS-PM modelA case study of Xuzhou, China Wang, Yuchen, Zhang, Yu, Ding, Nan, Qin, Kai, Yang, Xiaoyan Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
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