How fast plants grow, gap-filled (Terra, 8-day, 500 m)
What it measures. An estimate of how much carbon plants pull from the air and turn into growth (gross primary productivity), summed over 8 days at 500-meter detail, with the gaps filled in.
How it's made. Calculated from Terra MODIS data using a light-use-efficiency approach, then cleaned at year's end by replacing poor-quality inputs through interpolation.
How & where you'd use it. Used to study the carbon cycle, plant growth, and ecosystem health; because it's only finalized at year-end, it isn't available in real time.
What's measured
Coverage & cadence
- Time span2000-01-01 → ongoing
- Measured byTerra (MODIS)
- Processing levelLevel 4
- Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
- FormatsHDF-EOS2
- StatusACTIVE
What you can do with it
- Map vegetation, forests and biomass
- Monitor ecosystem productivity and carbon
- Support habitat and biodiversity studies
Official description
The MOD17A2HGF Version 6.1 Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) product is a cumulative 8-day composite of values with 500 meter (m) pixel size based on the radiation use efficiency concept that can be potentially used as inputs to data models to calculate terrestrial energy, carbon, water cycle processes, and biogeochemistry of vegetation. The Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data product includes information about GPP and Net Photosynthesis (PSN). The PSN band values are the GPP less the Maintenance Respiration (MR). The data product also contains a PSN Quality Control (QC) layer. The quality layer contains quality information for both the GPP and the PSN. The MOD17A2HGF will be generated at the end of each year when the entire yearly 8-day [MOD15A2H](https://doi.org/10.5067/modis/mod15a2h.061) is available. Hence, the gap-filled MOD17A2HGF is the improved MOD17, which has cleaned the poor-quality inputs from 8-day Leaf Area Index and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR/LAI) based on the Quality Control (QC) label for every pixel. If any LAI/FPAR pixel did not meet the quality screening criteria, its value is determined through linear interpolation. However, users cannot get MOD17A2HGF in near-real time because it will be generated only at the end of a given year. Known Issues * Operational and uncertainty issues are provided under Section 2 in the User Guide. * 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
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc") # free Earthdata Login
results = earthaccess.search_data(
short_name="MOD17A2HGF",
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 technical information in the User's Guide enables users to interpret and use the data products. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
- The ATBD provides physical theory and mathematical procedures for the calculations used to produce 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
- Validation at stage 3 has been achieved for the MODIS Gross and Net Primary Productivity data products. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
- Further details regarding MODIS land product validation for the MOD17 data products are available from the MODIS Land Team Validation site. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
- The LDOPE Land Product Quality Assessment website provides known issues, maneuvers, and product quality of the land products. VIEW RELATED INFORMATION