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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
348418
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: 2026-08-13

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
Quality assessment of PROBA-V surface Albedo V1 for the continuity of the copernicus climate change service Sanchez-Zapero, Jorge, Camacho, Fernando, Martinez-Sanchez, Enrique, Lacaze, Roselyne, Carrer, Dominique, Pinault, Florian, Benhadj, Iskander, Munoz-Sabater, Joaquin Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Albedo, Anisotropy
Nearly Half of Global Vegetated Area Experienced Inconsistent Vegetation Ding, Zihan, Peng, Jian, Qiu, Sijing, Zhao, Yan Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Land Use/Land Cover Classification
The Dynamic Habitat Indices (DHIs) from MODIS and global biodiversity Radeloff, V.C., Dubinin, M., Coops, N.C., Allen, A.M., Brooks, T.M., Clayton, M.K., Costa, G.C., Graham, C.H., Helmers, D.P., Ives, A.R., Kolesov, D., Pidgeon, A.M., Rapacciuolo, G., Razenkova, E., Suttidate, N., Young, B.E., Zhu, L., Hobi, M.L. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Spatially and temporally continuous leaf area index mapping for crops through assimilation of multi-resolution satellite data Jin, Huaan, Xu, Weixing, Li, Ainong, Xie, Xinyao, Zhang, Zhengjian, Xia, Haoming Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance
Temporal variation in resource selection of African elephants follows long-term variability in resource availability Tsalyuk, Miriam, Kilian, Werner, Reineking, Bjorn, Getz, Wayne Marcus Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Spatiotemporal change of sparse vegetation coverage in northern China Feng, Lili, Jia, Zhiqing, Li, Qingxue, Zhao, Anzhou, Zhao, Yuling, Zhang, Zhaojiang Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance
Relative Azimuthal-Angle Matching (RAM): A Screening Method for GEO-LEO Adachi, Yusuke, Kikuchi, Ryota, Obata, Kenta, Yoshioka, Hiroki Atmospheric Ozone, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Satellite-based simulation of soil freezing/thawing processes in the northeast Tibetan Plateau Zheng, Guanheng, Yang, Yuting, Yang, Dawen, Dafflon, Baptiste, Lei, Huimin, Yang, Hanbo Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Tropopause, Surface Pressure, Air Temperature, Upper Air Temperature, Total Precipitable Water, Water Vapor, Cloud Height, Cloud Top Pressure, Cloud Top Temperature, Cloud Vertical Distribution, Emissivity, Sea Surface Temperature, Skin Temperature, Carbon Monoxide, Geopotential Height, Humidity, Water Vapor Profiles, Cloud Liquid Water/Ice, Outgoing Longwave Radiation, Methane, Atmospheric Ozone, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Land Surface Temperature, Albedo, Anisotropy, Reflectance
Representing grasslands using dynamic prognostic phenology based on biological growth stagesPart 2. carbon cycling Haynes, Katherine D., Baker, Ian T., Denning, A. Scott, Wolf, Sebastian, Wohlfahrt, Georg, Kiely, Gerard, Minaya, Renee C., Haynes, John M. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Soil Classification, Soil Chemistry, Soil Bulk Density, Nitrogen, Carbon, Soil Horizons/Profile, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Soil Water Holding Capacity, Incoming Solar Radiation, Outgoing Longwave Radiation, Soil Respiration, Methane, Plant Characteristics, Canopy Characteristics, Solar Irradiance, Humidity, Soil Texture, Precipitation Rate, Soil Gas/Air, Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, Biomass, Dominant Species, Surface Temperature, Surface Winds, Biogeochemical Cycles, Forests, Soil Temperature, Biomass Dynamics, Primary Production
Upscaling gross primary production in corn-soybean rotation systems in the midwest Dold, Christian, Hatfield, Jerry L., Prueger, John H., Moorman, Tom B., Sauer, Tom J., Cosh, Michael H., Drewry, Darren T., Wacha, Ken M. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity
Watershed-scale-based forecast method for leaf area index data based on the integration of time series MODIS products and meteorological data Jiang, Hui, Gong, Jianya, Chen, Xiaoling, Liu, Yao Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
The sensitivity of land-atmosphere coupling to modern agriculture in the northern midlatitudes McDermid, Sonali Shukla, Montes, Carlo, Cook, Benjamin I., Puma, Michael J., Kiang, Nancy Y., Aleinov, Igor Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification
Validation of global moderate resolution leaf area index (LAI) products over croplands in northeastern China Fang, Hongliang, Zhang, Yinghui, Wei, Shanshan, Li, Wenjuan, Ye, Yongchang, Sun, Tao, Liu, Weiwei Reflectance, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation
Vegetation functional properties determine uncertainty of simulated ecosystem productivityA traceability analysis in the East Asian Monsoon region Cui, Erqian, Huang, Kun, Arain, Muhammad Altaf, Fisher, Joshua B., Huntzinger, Deborah N., Ito, Akihiko, Luo, Yiqi, Jain, Atul K., Mao, Jiafu, Michalak, Anna M., Niu, Shuli, Parazoo, Nicholas C., Peng, Changhui, Peng, Shushi, Poulter, Benjamin, Ricciuto, Daniel M., Schaefer, Kevin M., Schwalm, Christopher R., Shi, Xiaoying, Tian, Hanqin, Wang, Weile, Wang, Jinsong, Wei, Yaxing, Yan, Enrong, Yan, Liming, Zeng, Ning, Zhu, Qiuan, Xia, Jianyang Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Photosynthesis, Primary Production, Vegetation Productivity, Discharge, Soil Depth, Biomass, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Albedo, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Carbon, Respiration Rate, Atmospheric Water Vapor, Runoff, Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Compounds, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Air Temperature, Precipitation Amount, Agricultural Lands, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Soil Chemistry, Soil Classification
Woody plant cover estimation in Texas savanna from MODIS products Yang, Xuebin Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance, Canopy Characteristics, Evergreen Vegetation, Crown, Deciduous Vegetation, Leaf Characteristics, Vegetation Cover, Land Use/Land Cover Classification
Forest biomass estimation using remote sensing and field inventoryA case study of Tripura, India Pandey, Prem Chandra, Srivastava, Prashant K., Chetri, Tilok, Choudhary, Bal Krishan, Kumar, Pavan Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Forest degradation assessment based on trend analysis of MODIS-leaf area indexA case study in Mexico Reygadas, Yunuen, Jensen, Jennifer L. R., Moisen, Gretchen G. Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification
Evaluating a new algorithm for satellite-based evapotranspiration for North American ecosystems: Model development and validation El Masri, Bassil, Rahman, Abdullah F., Dragoni, Danilo Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy, Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Leaf Characteristics, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
Evaluating the Met Office Unified Model land surface temperature in Global Atmosphere/Land 3.1 (GA/L3. 1), Global Atmosphere/Land 6.1 (GA/L6. 1) and ... Brooke, Jennifer K., Harlow, R. Chawn, Scott, Russell L., Best, Martin J., Edwards, John M., Thelen, Jean-Claude, Weeks, Mark Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Exploration of machine learning techniques in emulating a coupled soil canopy atmosphere radiative transfer model for multi-parameter estimation from satellite observations Shi, Hanyu, Xiao, Zhiqiang, Tian, Xiaodan Reflectance, Albedo, Anisotropy, Shortwave Radiation, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Evaluation of topographic effects on multiscale leaf area index estimation using remotely sensed observations from multiple sensors Jin, Huaan, Li, Ainong, Xu, Weixing, Xiao, Zhiqiang, Jiang, Jingyi, Xue, Huazhu Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance, RADAR IMAGERY, Terrain Elevation, Topographical Relief Maps, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM)
Evaluation of various precipitation products using ground-based discharge observation at the Nujiang River basin, China Mao, Renjie, Wang, Lei, Zhou, Jing, Li, Xiuping, Qi, Jia, Zhang, Xiaotao Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar)
Evaluation and validation of the MODIS LAI algorithm with digital hemispherical photography at Bhitar Kanika Mangrove Forest, India Paramanik, S, Behera, MD, Bhattacharya, BK, Tripathi, S Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)
Evaluation of ten machine learning methods for estimating terrestrial evapotranspiration from remote sensing Carter, Corinne, Liang, Shunlin Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Reflectance, Anisotropy, Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Albedo
Evaluation of MOD16 algorithm over irrigated rice paddy using flux tower measurements in southern Brazil Souza, Vanessa de Arruda, Roberti, Debora Regina, Ruhoff, Anderson Luis, Zimmer, Tamires, Adamatti, Daniela Santini, Goncalves, Luis Gustavo G. de, Diaz, Marcelo Bortoluzzi, Alves, Rita de Cassia Marques, Moraes, Osvaldo L. L. de Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction Of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fapar), Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Evapotranspiration, Latent Heat Flux
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