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Full catalog/CAM5K30EM
CAM5K30EM·v003·dataset

How well land radiates heat, monthly (ASTER + MODIS)

Combined ASTER and MODIS Emissivity database over Land (CAMEL) Emissivity Monthly Global 0.05Deg V003
land NASA LPCLOUD Level 3 netCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. A monthly global map of how efficiently different land surfaces radiate heat (their 'emissivity'), at about 5-kilometer resolution. This captures how rock, soil, vegetation, and snow each give off thermal energy.

How it's made. Made by merging two emissivity databases built from the Terra satellite's ASTER instrument and the MODIS instruments on Terra and Aqua, combining each one's strengths.

How & where you'd use it. Important for accurately measuring land surface temperature from space and for weather and climate models that need to know how surfaces emit heat.

What's measured

LAND SURFACE › SURFACE RADIATIVE PROPERTIES › EMISSIVITYBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › VEGETATION INDEXTERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE › SNOW/ICE › SNOW COVERLAND SURFACE › SURFACE THERMAL PROPERTIES › LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2000-03-01 → 2024-01-01
  • Measured byTerra (ASTER, MODIS) · Aqua (MODIS)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsnetCDF-4
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Track deforestation, fire scars and land-cover change
  • Monitor crop and vegetation health (NDVI/EVI)
  • Map how built-up vs. green an area is over time
Official description

The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments ([MEaSUREs](https://earthdata.nasa.gov/about/competitive-programs/measures)) Combined Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Emissivity for Land (CAMEL) dataset provides monthly emissivity at 0.05 degree (~5 kilometer) resolution (CAM5K30EM). The CAM5K30EM data product was created by combining the University of Wisconsin-Madison MODIS Baseline Fit (UWBF) emissivity database and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory ASTER Global Emissivity Dataset Version 4 (GED V4). The two datasets have been integrated to capitalize on the unique strengths of each product's characteristics. The integration steps include adjustment of ASTER GED Version 3 emissivities for vegetation and snow cover variations to produce ASTER GED Version 4, aggregation of ASTER GED Version 4 emissivities from 100 meter resolution to the UWBF 5 kilometer resolution, merging of the five ASTER spectral emissivities with the UWBF emissivity to create CAMEL at 13 hinge points, and extension of the 13 hinge points to high spectral resolution (HSR) utilizing the Principal Component (PC) regression method. Additional details regarding the methodology are available in the User Guide and Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD). Provided in the CAM5K30EM product are layers for the CAMEL emissivity, ASTER Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), snow fraction derived from MODIS (MOD10), latitude, longitude, CAMEL quality, ASTER quality, and the UWBF emissivity quality information. Known Issues * The following granules are missing from the product: January, February, and August of 2000; June and July of 2001; March of 2002; December of 2003; July of 2010; and February of 2016.

Get the data

cam5k30em_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="CAM5K30EM",
    version="003",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from LPCLOUD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.