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Full catalog/MCD43C3
MCD43C3·v061·dataset

How much sunlight the surface reflects (Terra+Aqua, daily, 0.05 deg)

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

What it measures. How much sunlight the land surface reflects rather than absorbs (its albedo), given for several colors of light plus broader visible, near-infrared, and shortwave totals, mapped daily across the whole globe.

How it's made. Produced from 16 days of combined Terra and Aqua MODIS observations, processed into a daily gridded product with both a clear-sky and a fully-diffuse-light version of reflectivity.

How & where you'd use it. A key ingredient for climate models, since how much sunlight a surface bounces back affects how the planet heats and cools; useful for studying snow, deserts, forests, and seasonal change.

What's measured

LAND SURFACE › SURFACE RADIATIVE PROPERTIES › ALBEDOLAND SURFACE › SURFACE RADIATIVE PROPERTIES › ANISOTROPY

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) MCD43C3 Version 6.1 Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function and Albedo (BRDF/Albedo) Albedo 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/mcd43c3-cmg-albedo-product/). MCD43C3 provides black-sky albedo (directional hemispherical reflectance) and white-sky albedo (bihemispherical reflectance) at local solar noon. Black-sky albedo and white-sky albedo values are 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 20 albedo layers are ancillary layers for quality, local solar noon, percent finer resolution inputs, snow cover, 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

mcd43c3_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="MCD43C3",
    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.