MODIS/Aqua Snow Cover Daily L3 Global 500m SIN Grid, Version 6
Data set id:
MYD10A1
DOI: 10.5067/MODIS/MYD10A1.006
There is a more recent version of these data.
Version Summary
Changes for Version 6 include:

  • Fractional Snow Cover has been replaced by Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) snow cover. Fractional Snow Cover is no longer calculated;

  • The binary Snow-Covered Area (SCA) map has been discontinued;

  • Aqua MODIS band 6 data have been restored to scientific quality using a Quantitative Image Restoration (QIR) technique. Aqua now uses the same snow detection algorithm as Terra;

  • Existing data screens designed to reduce snow detection errors have been revised and several new screens have been added;

  • Data screen results, including snow detection reversals and detections with increased uncertainty, are provided in a new QA bit flag;

  • Basic pixel-level QA uses new criteria to indicate the overall quality of algorithm result;

  • Pointers are provided to locate the swaths used for each day's observation.

Overview

This data set contains daily, gridded snow cover and albedo derived from radiance data acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Aqua satellite. Snow cover is identified using the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) and a series of screens designed to alleviate errors and flag uncertain snow cover detections. As of August 2023, this data set is retired and no longer available for download. We recommend using MODIS/Aqua Snow Cover Daily L3 Global 500m SIN Grid, Version 61 as an alternative.
Parameter(s):
ALBEDOSNOW COVER
Platform(s):
AQUA
Sensor(s):
MODIS
Data Format(s):
HDF-EOS2
Temporal Coverage:
4 July 2002 to 25 February 2023
Temporal Resolution:
  • 1 day
Spatial Resolution:
  • 500 m
  • 500 m
Spatial Coverage:
N:
90
S:
-90
E:
180
W:
-180
Blue outlined yellow areas on the map below indicate the spatial coverage for this data set.

Data Access & Tools

This data set has been retired. There is a more recent version of these data.

Help Articles

General Questions & FAQs

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The Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) snow cover is an index that is related to the presence of snow in a pixel and is a more accurate description of snow detection as compared to Fractional Snow Cover (FSC). Snow typically has very high visible (VIS) reflectance and very low reflectan

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