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Full catalog/MCD43D28
MCD43D28·v061·dataset

How much sunlight the surface reflects, shortwave (MODIS, daily 1 km)

MODIS/Terra+Aqua BRDF/Albedo Parameter1 Shortwave Daily L3 Global 30ArcSec CMG V061
land NASA LPCLOUD Level 3 active HDF-EOS2
In plain English

What it measures. Holds one piece of the math used to describe how the land surface reflects sunlight across the broad shortwave range. On its own it is a single technical ingredient, not a finished reflectance or brightness number.

How it's made. Produced daily by combining 16 days of MODIS observations from the Terra and Aqua satellites onto a roughly 1-kilometer global grid.

How & where you'd use it. A building-block input: most people use it indirectly, combined with two companion files, to calculate how much sunlight the surface actually reflects for climate and energy-balance studies.

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 MCD43D28 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/). MCD43D28 is the BRDF isotropic parameter for the MODIS shortwave broadband. The isotropic parameter, in conjunction with the volumetric and geometric parameters, is used to derive the BRDF/Albedo values for the MODIS shortwave broadband. 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

mcd43d28_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="MCD43D28",
    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.