Earth Data School
About
Full catalog/MCD43D04
MCD43D04·v061·dataset

BRDF model coefficient for surface reflectance, band 2 (MODIS, daily)

MODIS/Terra+Aqua BRDF/Albedo Parameter 1 Band 2 Daily L3 Global 30 ArcSec CMG V061
land NASA LPCLOUD Level 3 active HDF-EOS2
In plain English

What it measures. One of the mathematical ingredients used to describe how a patch of land reflects sunlight differently depending on the viewing and sun angles. This particular file holds a single coefficient (the steady, angle-independent part) for one MODIS color band.

How it's made. Produced daily by combining 16 days of measurements from the MODIS instruments on the Terra and Aqua satellites onto a global grid sized for climate models.

How & where you'd use it. A low-level building block. Most people use it indirectly through finished products like surface reflectance and albedo maps rather than working with this single coefficient directly.

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 MCD43D04 Version 6.1 Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function and Albedo (BRDF/Albedo) Model Parameter dataset is produced daily using 16 days of Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data at 30 arc second (1,000 meter) resolution. Data are temporally weighted to the ninth day which is reflected in the Julian date in the file name. This Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) product covers the entire globe for use in climate simulation models. Due to the large file size, each MCD43D product contains just one data layer. Each of the three model parameters (isotropic, volumetric, and geometric) for each of the MODIS bands 1 through 7 and the visible, near-infrared (NIR), and shortwave bands included in [MCD43C1](https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD43C1.061) are stored in a separate file as MCD43D01 through MCD43D30. 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/mcd43d-cmg-30-arc-second-products/). MCD43D04 is the BRDF isotropic parameter for MODIS band 2. The isotropic parameter, in conjunction with the volumetric and geometric parameters, is used to derive the BRDF/Albedo values for MODIS band 2. 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

mcd43d04_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="MCD43D04",
    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.