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Description

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MCD43A1 Version 6.1 Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function and Albedo (BRDF/Albedo) Model Parameters 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 retrieval period which is reflected in the Julian date in the file name. MCD43A1 provides the three model weighting parameters (isotropic, volumetric, and geometric) used to derive the Albedo (MCD43A3) and Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR) (MCD43A4) products.

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 MCD43A1 provides the three model weighting parameters for MODIS spectral bands 1 through 7 as well as the visible, near infrared (NIR), and shortwave bands. Along with the three-dimensional parameter layers for these bands 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
Spatial Extent

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

Spatial Resolution
500 Meters x 500 Meters
Geographic Region
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
C2343116130-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
2871671
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Reflectance ,
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 Model Parameters Daily L3 Global - 500m V061 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD43A1.061 Date Accessed: 2025-12-13

File Naming Convention

MCD43A1.A2025212.h11v12.061.2025221032740.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MCD43A1) 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
Matching high resolution satellite data and flux tower footprints improves their agreement in photosynthesis estimates Kong, J.
Adjusting solar-induced fluorescence to nadir-viewing provides a better proxy for GPP Hao, D.
The importance of vegetation in understanding terrestrial water storage variations Trautmann, T.
Albedo impacts of current agricultural land use—Crop-specific albedo from MODIS data and inclusion in LCA of crop production Sieber, P.
Hillslope erosion improvement targets—Towards sustainable land management across New South Wales, Australia Yang, X.
Albedo on cropland—Field-scale effects of current agricultural practices in Northern Europe Sieber, P.
Land surface phenology retrieval through spectral and angular harmonization of Landsat-8, Sentinel-2 and Gaofen-1 data Lu, J.
Calibrating vegetation phenology from Sentinel-2 using eddy covariance, PhenoCam, and PEP725 networks across Europe Tian, F.
Quantitative analysis of terrain reflected solar radiation in snow‐covered mountains: A case study in southeastern Tibetan plateau Chu, Q.
Evaluation of orbital drift effect on proba-v surface reflectances time series Niro, F.
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Variables

Variables are a set of physical properties whose values determine the characteristics or behavior of something. For example, temperature and pressure are variables of the atmosphere. Parameters and variables can be used interchangeably. Variable level attributes provide individual information for each variable.

The Name in this table is the variable name. Fill value indicates missing or undefined data points in a variable. Valid range is the range of values the variable can store. Scale factor is used to increase or decrease the size of an object and can be used to correct for distortion. For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.

Name Description Units Data Type Fill Value Valid Range Scale Factor
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Mandatory_Quality_Band1 BRDF Albedo Mandatory Quality for Band 1 Bit Field uint8 255 0 to 254 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Mandatory_Quality_Band2 BRDF Albedo Mandatory Quality for Band 2 Bit Field uint8 255 0 to 254 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Mandatory_Quality_Band3 BRDF Albedo Mandatory Quality for Band 3 Bit Field uint8 255 0 to 254 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Mandatory_Quality_Band4 BRDF Albedo Mandatory Quality for Band 4 Bit Field uint8 255 0 to 254 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Mandatory_Quality_Band5 BRDF Albedo Mandatory Quality for Band 5 Bit Field uint8 255 0 to 254 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Mandatory_Quality_Band6 BRDF Albedo Mandatory Quality for Band 6 Bit Field uint8 255 0 to 254 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Mandatory_Quality_Band7 BRDF Albedo Mandatory Quality for Band 7 Bit Field uint8 255 0 to 254 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Mandatory_Quality_nir BRDF Albedo Mandatory Quality for NIR broadband Bit Field uint8 255 0 to 254 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Mandatory_Quality_shortwave BRDF Albedo Mandatory Quality for shortwave broadband Bit Field uint8 255 0 to 254 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Band_Mandatory_Quality_vis BRDF Albedo Mandatory Quality for vis broadband Bit Field uint8 255 0 to 254 N/A
BRDF_Albedo_Parameters_Band1 3D Parameter (iso, vol, geo) for Band 1 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
BRDF_Albedo_Parameters_Band2 3D Parameter (iso, vol, geo) for Band 2 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
BRDF_Albedo_Parameters_Band3 3D Parameter (iso, vol, geo) for Band 3 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
BRDF_Albedo_Parameters_Band4 3D Parameter (iso, vol, geo) for Band 4 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
BRDF_Albedo_Parameters_Band5 3D Parameter (iso, vol, geo) for Band 5 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
BRDF_Albedo_Parameters_Band6 3D Parameter (iso, vol, geo) for Band 6 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
BRDF_Albedo_Parameters_Band7 3D Parameter (iso, vol, geo) for Band 7 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
BRDF_Albedo_Parameters_nir 3D Parameter (iso, vol, geo) for NIR broadband N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
BRDF_Albedo_Parameters_shortwave 3D Parameter (iso, vol, geo) for shortwave broadband N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
BRDF_Albedo_Parameters_vis 3D Parameter (iso, vol, geo) for vis broadband N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.001
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