MODIS-derived Biophysical Parameters for 5-km Land Cover, North America, 2000-2012

This data set provides MODIS-derived surface biophysical climatologies of bidirectional distribution function (BRDF), BDRF/albedo, land surface temperature (LST), leaf area index (LAI), and evapotranspiration (ET) as separate files for each of the MODIS land cover types, and four radiative forcing data files for four scenarios of potential vegetation shifts in North America. Each biophysical variable has temporal periods that represent the average of all 8-day periods from the years 2000 – 2012. The data have a spatial resolution of 0.05 degree (~5 km) and a temporal resolution of eight days. Additionally, a file containing diffuse fraction of surface downward solar radiation (DiffuseFraction) at a monthly scale, and a file containing snow water equivalent (SWE) are provided. The extent of the data covers the land area of North America, from 20 to 60 degrees N.

The land-cover map used was synthesized from nine yearly 500-m MODIS land-cover layers (MCD12 Q1 Collection 5) for 2001-2008.

These high-resolution land data were originally developed for quantifying biophysical forcing from land-use changes associated with forestry activities, such as radiative forcing from altered surface albedo.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Maintainer Earthdata Forum
Last Updated June 8, 2026, 15:50 (UTC)
Created April 1, 2025, 17:37 (UTC)
accessLevel public
bureauCode {026:00}
catalog_conformsTo https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
harvest_object_id 140e1b20-3a5e-4c6d-8083-544ab1fbef48
harvest_source_id b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title Science Discovery Engine
identifier 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1210
license https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified 2026-06-03T16:52:47Z
programCode {026:000}
publisher ORNL_DAAC
resource-type Dataset
source_datajson_identifier true
source_hash dd018b0233f0f3982074857fa4676a90476d9ffce3e40c847d05cc636ef1116b
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial ["CARTESIAN", [{"WestBoundingCoordinate": -160.0, "NorthBoundingCoordinate": 60.0, "EastBoundingCoordinate": -40.0, "SouthBoundingCoordinate": 20.0}]]
temporal 2000-01-01/2012-12-31
theme {"Earth Science"}