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Full catalog/MCD43C2
MCD43C2·v061·dataset

How much sunlight the snow-free land reflects, daily (MODIS, 0.05 deg)

MODIS/Terra+Aqua BRDF/Albedo Snow-free Model Parameters Daily L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG V061
land NASA LPCLOUD Level 3 active HDF-EOS2
In plain English

What it measures. Model settings that describe how snow-free land reflects sunlight from different angles, for seven MODIS color bands plus visible, near-infrared, and shortwave ranges, mapped daily at about 5 km.

How it's made. Produced by combining 16 days of MODIS data from NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites into a daily global grid suited to climate models.

How & where you'd use it. A technical input used to calculate surface albedo (overall reflectivity) for climate and energy-balance studies; most users apply it to derive reflectance products rather than reading it directly.

What's measured

LAND SURFACE › SURFACE RADIATIVE PROPERTIES › ALBEDOLAND SURFACE › SURFACE RADIATIVE PROPERTIES › ANISOTROPYLAND SURFACE › SURFACE RADIATIVE PROPERTIES › REFLECTANCE

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2000-02-16 → ongoing
  • Measured byTerra (MODIS) · Aqua (MODIS)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsHDF-EOS2
  • StatusACTIVE

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 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MCD43C2 Version 6.1 Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function and Albedo (BRDF/Albedo) Snow-free Model Parameters dataset is produced daily using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS data in a 0.05 degree (5,600 meters at the equator) Climate Modeling Grid (CMG). Data are temporally weighted to the ninth day of the retrieval period which is reflected in the Julian date in the file name. This CMG product covers the entire globe for use in climate simulation models. 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](https://www.umb.edu/spectralmass/modis-user-guide-v006-and-v0061/mcd43c2-cmg-brdfalbedo-model-snow-free-parameters-product/). MCD43C2 provides the three model weighting parameters (isotropic, volumetric, and geometric) computed from snow-free retrievals. Each model parameter is available as a separate layer for MODIS spectral bands 1 through 7 as well as the visible, near infrared (NIR), and shortwave bands. Along with the 30 parameter layers there are ancillary layers for quality, local solar noon, percent finer resolution inputs, and uncertainty. Known Issues * For complete information about known issues please refer to the [MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website](https://landweb.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/knownissue?sensor=MODIS&sat=TerraAqua&as=61).

Get the data

mcd43c2_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="MCD43C2",
    version="061",
    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.