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Description
The MOD11_L2 Version 6.1 swath product provides per-pixel Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity (LST&E) with a pixel size of 1,000 meters (m). The product is produced daily in 5-minute temporal increments of satellite acquisition using the generalized split-window algorithm. MOD11_L2 is a Level 2 product which provides the input for the Level 3 products. Provided in each MOD11_L2 file are LST, quality control assessment, error estimates, bands 31 and 32 emissivities, zenith angle of the pixel view, observation time, and the geographic coordinates for every five scan lines and samples.
The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to MODIS Version 6.1 land surface temperature and emissivity 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).
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC)
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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)
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.
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Wan, Z., Hook, S., & Hulley, G. (2021). MODIS/Terra Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V061 [Data set]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD11_L2.061 Date Accessed: 2026-05-01
Wan, Zhengming, Simon Hook, and Glynn Hulley. “MODIS/Terra Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V061.” NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center, 2021. doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD11_L2.061. Date Accessed: 2026-05-01
Wan, Zhengming, et al. MODIS/Terra Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V061. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center, 2021, doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD11_L2.061. Date Accessed: 2026-05-01
File Naming Convention
MOD11_L2.A2025219.2355.061.2025220081713.hdf
The file name begins with the Product Short Name (MOD11_L2) followed by the Julian Date of Acquisition formatted as AYYYYDDD (A2025219), the Hours and Minutes of Acquisition provided as HHMM (2355), the Version of the data collection (006), the Julian Date and Time of Production designated as YYYYDDDHHMMSS (2025220081713), and the Data Format (hdf).
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The table below lists the variables contained within a single granule for this
dataset. Variables often contain observed or derived geophysical measurements
collected from a variety of sources, including remote sensing instruments on
satellite and airborne platforms, field campaigns, in situ measurements, and
model outputs. The terms variable, parameter, scientific data set, layer, and band
have been used across NASA’s Earth science disciplines; however, variable is the
designated nomenclature in NASA’s Common Metadata Repository (CMR).
Variable metadata attributes such as Name, Description, Units, Data Type, Fill
Value, Valid Range, and Scale Factor allow users to efficiently process and analyze
the data. The full range of attributes may not be applicable to all variables.
Additional information on variable attributes is typically available in the data,
user guide, and/or other product documentation.
For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.