MODIS/Terra+Aqua BRDF/Albedo Albedo Daily L3 Global - 500m V061

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MCD43A3 Version 6.1 Albedo Model dataset is produced daily using 16 days of Terra and Aqua MODIS data at 500 meter (m) resolution. Data are temporally weighted to the ninth day of the 16 day which is reflected in the Julian date in the file name. 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. The MCD43A3 provides black-sky albedo (directional hemispherical reflectance) and white-sky albedo (bihemispherical reflectance) data at local solar noon for MODIS bands 1 through 7 and the visible, near infrared (NIR), and shortwave bands. Along with the albedo layers are the simplified mandatory quality layers for each of the 10 bands. Essential quality information provided in the corresponding MCD43A2 data file should be consulted when using this product. Known Issues * For complete information about known issues please refer to the MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website. Improvements/Changes from Previous Versions * The Version 6.1 Level-1B (L1B) products have been improved by undergoing various calibration changes that include: changes to the response-versus-scan angle (RVS) approach that affects reflectance bands for Aqua and Terra MODIS, corrections to adjust for the optical crosstalk in Terra MODIS infrared (IR) bands, and corrections to the Terra MODIS forward look-up table (LUT) update for the period 2012 - 2017. * A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB).

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Maintainer Earthdata Forum
Last Updated March 30, 2026, 23:18 (UTC)
Created April 1, 2025, 17:46 (UTC)
accessLevel public
bureauCode {026:00}
catalog_conformsTo https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
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harvest_source_id b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title Science Discovery Engine
identifier 10.5067/MODIS/MCD43A3.061
license https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified 2026-03-23T22:16:02Z
programCode {026:000}
publisher LP DAAC;UMASS-B/SFE;NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/TISL/MODAPS
resource-type Dataset
source_datajson_identifier true
source_hash 67aecc1919f87ce170850c321ee209ccd959a87ea4abc613128f7e907cf5e9a7
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial [[{"NorthBoundingCoordinate":90,"WestBoundingCoordinate":-180,"EastBoundingCoordinate":180,"SouthBoundingCoordinate":-90}],"CARTESIAN"]
temporal 2000-02-16/2026-03-23
theme {"Earth Science"}