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Full catalog/MCD43D51
MCD43D51·v061·dataset

How much sunlight the land reflects, all wavelengths (Terra+Aqua, daily)

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

What it measures. Daily maps of how much sunlight the land reflects across the full shortwave range under clear, direct-sun conditions (called black-sky albedo), at about 1 km detail worldwide.

How it's made. Produced from 16 days of combined Terra and Aqua MODIS observations, computed daily and weighted toward the middle day, as part of a larger reflectance-and-albedo product suite (each file holds one layer).

How & where you'd use it. Designed for climate simulation models, which need to know how much sunlight Earth's land surfaces bounce back; users are urged to check the quality flags.

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 MCD43D51 Version 6.1 Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function and Albedo (BRDF/Albedo) Black-Sky Albedo dataset is produced daily using 16 days of Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data at 30 arc second (1,000 meter (m)) 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. MCD43D42 through MCD43D61 are the albedo products of the MCD43D BRDF/Albedo product suite. There are 10 black-sky albedo and 10 white-sky albedo layers representing MODIS bands 1 through 7 and the visible, near-infrared (NIR), and shortwave bands. The black-sky albedo (directional hemispherical reflectance) is defined as albedo in the absence of a diffuse component and is a function of solar zenith angle. White-sky albedo (bihemispherical reflectance) is defined as albedo in the absence of a direct component when the diffuse component is isotropic. 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/). MCD43D51 is the black-sky albedo 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

mcd43d51_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="MCD43D51",
    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.