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Description

This global Level-2 (L2) data set provides daily snow cover detected using Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) and a series of screens designed to alleviate errors and flag uncertain snow cover detections. The NDSI is derived from radiance data acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Aqua satellite: DOI:10.5067/MODIS/MYD02HKM.061 and DOI:10.5067/MODIS/MYD021KM.061. Each data granule contains 5 minutes of swath data observed at a resolution of 500 m.

The terms "Version 61" and "Collection 6.1" are used interchangeably in reference to this release of MODIS data.

Version Description

The low visible reflectance screen for snow cover using bands 2 and 4 was lowered from 0.10 to 0.07 and cloud mask algorithm flags are set for 'probably cloudy' and 'probably clear' sky conditions.

Product Summary

Platforms
Aqua
Instruments
MODIS
Spatial Extent

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

Spatial Resolution
500 Meters x 500 Meters
Location
GLOBAL
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
GEODETIC
Temporal Extent
2002-07-04 to Present
Temporal Resolution
5 Minute
Concept ID
C3090964320-NSIDC_CPRD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
1370642
Processing Level
2
Published
Science Keywords
Snow Cover

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

Hall, D., & Riggs, G. (2021). MODIS/Aqua Snow Cover 5-Min L2 Swath 500m, Version 61 [Data set]. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MYD10_L2.061 Date Accessed: 2026-05-01

Documents

Publications Citing This Dataset

Filters
Title Year Author Topic
Recent global snow cover trends using the MODIS dataset from 2000 to 2021 Khan, Aftab Ahmed, Li, Xingong Albedo, Snow Cover
Comparison of varied complexity parameterizations in estimating blowing snow occurrences Xie, Zhipeng, Ma, Yaoming, Ma, Weiqiang, Hu, Zeyong, Sun, Genhou Snow Cover
Analysis of Multiyear Blowing Snow Occurrences in the French Alps Xie, Zhipeng, Ma, Yaoming, Ma, Weiqiang, Hu, Zeyong, Sun, Genhou, Wang, Yongjie Terrain Elevation, RADAR IMAGERY, Topographical Relief Maps, Snow Cover
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