MODIS/Terra+Aqua Surface Radiation Daily/3-Hour L3 Global 5km SIN Grid V006

MCD18A1 Version 6 was decommissioned on October 28, 2022. Users are encouraged to use the MCD18A1 Version 6.2 data product.

The MCD18A1 Version 6 is a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra and Aqua combined Downward Shortwave Radiation (DSR) gridded Level 3 product produced daily at 5 kilometer pixel resolution with estimates of DSR every 3 hours. DSR is incident solar radiation over land surfaces in the shortwave spectrum (300-4,000 nanometers) and is an important variable in land-surface models that address a variety of scientific and application issues. The MCD18 products are based on a prototyping algorithm that uses multi-temporal signatures of MODIS data to derive surface reflectance and then calculate incident DSR using the look-up table (LUT) approach. The LUTs consider different types of loadings of aerosols and clouds at a variety of illumination/viewing geometry. Global DSR products are generated from MODIS and geostationary satellite data. Additional details regarding the methodology used to create the data are available in the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD).

Provided in the MOD18A1 product are layers for instantaneous DSR array for each individual MODIS overpass and 3-hour DSR array along with a View Zenith Angle layer.

Known Issues * For complete information about known issues please refer to the MODIS/VIIRS Land Quality Assessment website.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Maintainer Earthdata Forum
Last Updated June 22, 2026, 17:24 (UTC)
Created June 12, 2025, 23:09 (UTC)
accessLevel public
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harvest_source_id b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title Science Discovery Engine
identifier 10.5067/MODIS/MCD18A1.006
license https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified 2026-06-15T22:15:58Z
programCode {026:000}
publisher LP DAAC;NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/TISL/MODAPS
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temporal 2001-01-01/2022-09-30
theme {"Earth Science"}