MODIS/Terra Snow Cover 8-Day L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG, Version 4

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Entry ID

MOD10C2

Summary

MODIS/Terra Snow Cover 8-Day L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG (MOD10C2) consists of 7200-column by 3600-row global arrays of snow cover in a 0.05 deg climate modeling grid (CMG). Data and quality assurance (QA) fields are in HDF-EOS format, along with corresponding metadata. MODIS/Terra V004 data extend from 24 February 2000 to present. MODIS snow cover data are based on a snow mapping algorithm that employs a Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) and other criteria tests. The only data available for Version 4 (V004) is the Golden Month, which is a sample of V004 data covering the time period 29 August 2002 (day of year 241) through 7 October 2002 (day of year 280). The Golden Month is only available by special request by contacting NSIDC User Services.

Please note that NSIDC now has a complete series of Version 5 data, which is the highest version number now available and represents the best quality of data.

Data Set Citation

Dataset Creator: D. Hall, V. Salomonson
Dataset Title: MODIS/Terra Snow Cover 8-Day L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG, Version 4
Dataset Release Date: 2000-09-01
Dataset Release Place: Boulder, CO U.S.A.
Dataset Publisher: National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Version: 4
Online Resource: http://nsidc.org/data/mod10c2.html

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 2000-02-24
Stop Date: 2006-12-31

Data Resolution

Latitude Resolution: 0.05 deg
Longitude Resolution: 0.05 deg
Temporal Resolution: 8 days

Location Keywords

• Geographic Region Global Land

Science Keywords

• Cryosphere Snow/Ice Snow Cover
• Terrestrial Hydrosphere Snow/Ice Snow Cover

Ancillary Keywords

• Antarctic
• Arctic
• Climate Modeling Grid
• Climatology
• CMG
• DAAC
• ECS
• EOSDIS
• Global
• Global Change
• Gridded
• NASA
• NSIDC
• Polar
• Remote Sensing
• Snow
• Snow Cover
• Snow On Ice

ISO Topic Category (View Definitions)

• Climatology/Meteorology/Atmosphere

Platform

• TERRA Earth Observing System, TERRA (AM-1)

Instrument

• MODIS Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
• SPECTRORADIOMETERS

Project

• EOSDIS Earth Observing System Data Information System
• ESIP Earth Science Information Partners Program

Quality

Quality indicators for MODIS snow data are represented by AutomaticQualityFlag and ScienceQualityFlag metadata objects and their corresponding explanations, AutomaticQualityFlagExplanation and ScienceQualityFlagExplanation, in the CoreMetadata.0 global attribute and also in the Snow Spatial QA data field. These are generated during production or in post-product scientific and quality checks of the data product.

The AutomaticQualityFlag is automatically set according to conditions for meeting data criteria in the snow mapping algorithm. In most cases, the flag is set to either Passed or Suspect, and in rare instances it may be set to Failed. Suspect means that a significant percentage of the data were anomalous and that further analysis should be done to determine the source of anomalies. The AutomaticQualityFlagExplanation contains a brief message explaining the reason for the setting of the AutomaticQualityFlag. The ScienceQualityFlag and ScienceQualityFlagExplanation are set after production, either after an automated QA program is run or after the data product is inspected by a qualified snow scientist. Content and explanation of this flag are dynamic so it should always be examined if present.

The Snow Spatial QA field provides additional information on algorithm results for each pixel within a spatial context, and is used as a measure of usefulness for snow-cover data. QA data are stored as bit flags, and QA information is extracted by reading the bits within a byte. (See MODIS Snow Cover Quality Assurance Fields.) The QA information tells if algorithm results were nominal, abnormal, or if other defined conditions were encountered for a pixel (Riggs, Hall, and Salomonson 2003). For example, intermediate checks for theoretical bounding of reflectance data and the NDSI ratio are made in the algorithm. In theory, reflectance values should lie within the 0-100 percent range, and the NDSI ratio should lie within the -1.0 to +1.0 range. Summary statistics are kept for pixels that exceed these theoretical limits; however, the test for snow is done regardless of violations of these limits. Violations are tracked and written as Auto_check_QA local attributes as they suggest that error or other anomalies may have been introduced into the input data indicating the need for further investigation. The snow algorithm also identifies missing data and reports them in the output product. Certain expected anomalous conditions may exist with the input data, such as a few missing lines or unusable data from the MODIS sensor. In these cases, the snow algorithm makes no snow decision for an affected pixel. A snow spatial QA bit is set to indicate the cause, and the algorithm moves to the next pixel. Summary statistics are calculated for these conditions, and reported as 'Valid EV Obs Band x' local attributes (Riggs, Hall, and Salomonson 2003).

The MODIS Land Quality Assurance Web site provides updated quality information for each product.

Data Set Progress

COMPLETE

Data Center

National Snow and Ice Data Center
Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org
Data Set ID: MOD10C23, MOD10C24

Data Center Personnel

Name: NSIDC User Services
Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199
Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA

NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center
Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org/daac/index.html
Data Set ID: MOD10C23, MOD10C24

Data Center Personnel

Name: NSIDC DAAC User Services
Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199
Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA

Distribution

Distribution Media: upon request
Distribution Size: 101.36 MB
Distribution Format: HDF-EOS

Personnel

Dorothy K. Hall
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Contact Address:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
Mail stop 614.1
City: Greenbelt
Province or State: MD
Postal Code: 20771

Vince V. Salomonson
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Contact Address:
Room 809 WBB
Department of Meteorology
University of Utah
City: Salt Lake City
Province or State: UT
Postal Code: 84112
Country: US

George A. Riggs
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Contact Address:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
Science Systems and Applications, Inc.
Mail stop 614.1
City: Greenbelt
Province or State: MD
Postal Code: 20771

NSIDC USER SERVICES
Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT
Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199
Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA

Related URL

http://nsidc.org/daac/modis/

Reference

Diner, D. J., J. V. Martonchik, C. Borel, S. A. W. Gerstl, H. R. Gordon, Y. Knyazikhin, R. Myneni, B. Pinty, and M. M. Verstraete. 1999. MISR Level-2 surface retrieval Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document. Pasadena, CA: Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). 1996. EOS Ground System (EGS) systems and operations concept. Greenbelt, MD: Goddard Space Flight Center.

Hall, D. K., G. A. Riggs, and V. V. Salomonson. September 2001a. Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD) for the MODIS Snow-, Lake Ice- and Sea Ice-Mapping Algorithms. Greenbelt, MD: Goddard Space Flight Center. .

Hall, D. K. and J. Martinec. 1985. Remote sensing of ice and snow. London: Chapman and Hall.

Hall, D. K., J. L. Foster, D. L. Verbyla, A. G. Klein, and C. S. Benson. 1998. Assessment of snow cover mapping accuracy in a variety of vegetation cover densities in central Alaska. Remote Sensing of the Environment 66:129-137.

Hall, D. K., J. L. Foster, V. V. Salomonson, A. G. Klein, and J. Y. L. Chien. 2001b. Development of a technique to assess snow-cover mapping accuracy from space. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 39(2):232-238.

Hall, D. K. and G. A. Riggs. 2006. Assessment of errors in the MODIS suite of snow-cover products. Hydrological Processes, in press.

Hapke, B. 1993. Theory of reflectance and emittance spectroscopy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Klein, A. MODIS Snow Albedo Prototype. 2003. Accessed July 2003.

Klein, A. G. and J. Stroeve. 2002. Development and validation of a snow albedo algorithm for the MODIS instrument. Annals of Glaciology 34:45-52. Klein, A. G., D. K. Hall, and G. A. Riggs. 1998. Improving snow-cover mapping in forests through the use of a canopy reflectance model. Hydrologic Processes 12(10-11):1723-1744.

Markham, B. L. and J. L. Barker. 1986. Landsat MSS and TM post-calibration dynamic ranges, exoatmospheric reflectances and at-satellite temperatures. EOSAT Technical Notes 1:3-8.

MODIS Characterization and Support Team (MCST). 2000. MODIS Level-1B product user's guide for Level-1B Version 2.3.x Release 2. MCST Document #MCM-PUG-01-U-DNCN.

MODIS Science and Instrument Team. MODIS Web. July 2003. Accessed October 2000.

Pearson II, F. 1990. Map projections: theory and applications. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Inc.

Riggs, G. A., D. K. Hall, and V. V. Salomonson. January 2006. MODIS snow products user guide for collection 4 data products. .

Wiscombe, W. J. and S. G. Warren. 1980. A model for the spectral albedo of snow I: pure snow. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 37:2712-2733.

Metadata Name and Version

Metadata Name: CEOS IDN DIF
Metadata Version: 9.7

Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 2002-03-01
Last DIF Revision Date: 2008-03-26

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FGDC HTML

U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM)