How hot the land surface gets each day (Terra, 1 km)

In plain English

What it measures. The daily temperature of the actual land surface (the ground, rooftops and treetops, not the air above) for each 1-kilometer square, along with how efficiently that surface radiates heat. It includes separate day and night readings.

How it's made. Calculated from the Terra satellite's MODIS instrument by combining its single-pass temperature measurements onto a tidy daily global grid, keeping only clear-sky views.

How & where you'd use it. Handy for tracking heat waves and urban heat, monitoring drought and crop stress, studying wildfire risk, and watching how land temperatures shift over the years.

What's measured

LAND SURFACE › SURFACE THERMAL PROPERTIES › LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURELAND SURFACE › SURFACE RADIATIVE PROPERTIES › EMISSIVITY

Coverage & cadence

Time span2000-02-24 → ongoing
Measured byTerra (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 Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Daily (MOD11A1) Version 6.1 product provides daily per-pixel Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity (LST&E) with 1 kilometer (km) spatial resolution in a 1,200 by 1,200 km grid. The pixel temperature value is derived from the [MOD11_L2](https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD11_L2.061) swath product. Above 30 degrees latitude, some pixels may have multiple observations where the criteria for clear-sky are met. When this occurs, the pixel value is a result of the average of all qualifying observations. Provided along with the daytime and nighttime surface temperature bands are associated quality control assessments, observation times, view zenith angles, and clear-sky coverages along with bands 31 and 32 emissivities from land cover types. 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=Terra&as=61).

Get the data

mod11a1_access.py

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

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="MOD11A1",
    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.

Official links

Earthdata Search allows users to search, discover, visualize, refine, and access NASA Earth Observation data. GET DATA
The Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS) offers a simple and efficient way to perform data access and transformation processes. GET DATA
The ATBD provides physical theory and mathematical procedures for the calculations used to produce the data products. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
The technical information in the User's Guide enables users to interpret and use the data products. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
The File Specification provides a description of the product file including Scientific Data Sets and their attributes. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
Further details regarding MODIS land product validation for the MOD11 data products are available from the MODIS Land Team Validation site. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
Validation at stage 2 has been achieved for all MODIS Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity products. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
The LDOPE Land Product Quality Assessment website provides known issues, maneuvers, and product quality of the land products. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION