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Description

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MCD43A4 Version 6.1 Nadir Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF)-Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR) dataset is produced daily using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS data at 500 meter (m) resolution. The view angle effects are removed from the directional reflectances, resulting in a stable and consistent NBAR product. Data are temporally weighted to the ninth 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 MCD43A4 provides NBAR and simplified mandatory quality layers for MODIS bands 1 through 7. 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
C2218719731-LPCLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
2880986
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Reflectance ,
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 Nadir BRDF Adjusted Ref Daily L3 Global - 500m V061 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD43A4.061 Date Accessed: 2025-12-14

File Naming Convention

MCD43A4.A2025212.h04v10.061.2025221032559.hdf

The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MCD43A4) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025212), the Tile Identifier which is horizontal tile and vertical tile provided as hXXvYY (h04v10), the Version of the data collection (061), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025221032559), 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
NIRv and SIF better estimate phenology than NDVI and EVI—Effects of spring and autumn phenology on ecosystem production of planted forests Zhang, J.
Improved detection of abrupt change in vegetation reveals dominant fractional woody cover decline in Eastern Africa Abera, T. A.
Satellite solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence and near-infrared reflectance capture complementary aspects of dryland vegetation productivity dynamics Wang, X.
Estimation of 1-km resolution all-sky instantaneous erythemal UV-B with MODIS data based on a deep learning method Zhao, R. X.
Impact of BRDF spatiotemporal smoothing on land surface albedo estimation Yang, J.
Spatiotemporal fusion modelling using STARFM—Examples of Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 NDVI in Bavaria Dhillon, M. S.
Thirty-eight years of CO2 fertilization has outpaced growing aridity to drive greening of Australian woody ecosystems Rifai, S. W.
Contrasting 20-year trends in NDVI at two Siberian larch forests with and without multiyear waterlogging-induced disturbances Nagano, H.
The restoration potential of the grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau Wang, R. J.
Developing and evaluating the feasibility of a new spatiotemporal fusion framework to improve remote sensing reflectance and dynamic LAI monitoring Li, Y.
SHOWING 10 OF 114

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
Nadir_Reflectance_Band1 NBAR at local solar noon for Band 1 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.0001
Nadir_Reflectance_Band2 NBAR at local solar noon for Band 2 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.0001
Nadir_Reflectance_Band3 NBAR at local solar noon for Band 3 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.0001
Nadir_Reflectance_Band4 NBAR at local solar noon for Band 4 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.0001
Nadir_Reflectance_Band5 NBAR at local solar noon for Band 5 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.0001
Nadir_Reflectance_Band6 NBAR at local solar noon for Band 6 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.0001
Nadir_Reflectance_Band7 NBAR at local solar noon for Band 7 N/A int16 32767 0 to 32766 0.0001
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