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Full catalog/MCD43D59
MCD43D59·v061·dataset

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

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

What it measures. How much visible sunlight the land surface reflects, as a daily global map. This particular file holds the 'white-sky' albedo — reflectance under fully diffuse, overcast-like lighting — for the visible band.

How it's made. Produced daily from 16 days of MODIS data combined from the Terra and Aqua satellites, at roughly 1-kilometer resolution on a climate-modeling grid; each file holds a single data layer.

How & where you'd use it. Feeds climate simulation models that need to know how much sunlight the land bounces back. Users are advised to check the quality flags for the best results.

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 MCD43D59 Version 6.1 Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function and Albedo (BRDF/Albedo) White-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/). MCD43D59 is the white-sky albedo for the MODIS visible 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

mcd43d59_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="MCD43D59",
    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.