MODIS-derived Aggregate, Woody and Herbaceous Leaf Area Index for Africa, 2002-2022

This dataset provides leaf area index (LAI) estimates for Sub-Saharan Africa for woody, herbaceous, and aggregate vegetation types. The estimates were derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Level 4 and the native MODIS LAI product (MCD15A2H Version 6.1), which provides LAI measurements every 8 days at 500-m pixel size. Data from the MCD15A2H product were processed further to generate three layers including: a smoothed and gap filled LAI layer referred to as aggregate leaf area index and two additional layers processed to separate woody LAI (tree and shrubs) and herbaceous LAI (grass and forbs). The data include 31 MODIS 10-degree tiles and cover 2002 to 2022. The data are provided in NetCDF format.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Maintainer Earthdata Forum
Last Updated August 17, 2026, 22:34 (UTC)
Created April 1, 2025, 17:36 (UTC)
accessLevel public
bureauCode {026:00}
catalog_conformsTo https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
harvest_object_id e0ef2c7d-58cd-47fa-96b6-d7d3f2e2d96c
harvest_source_id b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title Science Discovery Engine
identifier 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2325
license https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified 2026-08-10T22:16:00Z
programCode {026:000}
publisher ORNL_DAAC
resource-type Dataset
source_datajson_identifier true
source_hash d23e312de5dc574a456fc04379ca43b95f429695acaa0bdc71773c164244a6de
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial ["CARTESIAN", [{"WestBoundingCoordinate": -21.2839, "NorthBoundingCoordinate": 20.02, "EastBoundingCoordinate": 63.8625, "SouthBoundingCoordinate": -40.02}]]
temporal 2002-07-05/2022-07-29
theme {"Earth Science"}