Name: MODIS/Aqua Snow Cover 8-Day L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG, Version 4
Creator: National Snow and Ice Data Center
Keywords: SNOW COVER

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

Data set id:

MYD10C2

DOI: 10.5067/941U0UITQMWQ

Data Citation and Acknowledgment
As a condition of using these data, you must cite the use of this data set. Such a practice gives credit to data set producers and advances principles of transparency and reproducibility.

Hall, D. K. & Salomonson, V. V. (2000). MODIS/Aqua Snow Cover 8-Day L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG. (MYD10C2, Version 4). [Data Set]. Boulder, Colorado USA. National Snow and Ice Data Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/941U0UITQMWQ. [describe subset used if applicable]. Date Accessed 09-24-2025.

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There is a more recent version of these data.

Overview

MODIS/Aqua Snow Cover 8-Day L3 Global 0.05Deg CMG (MYD10C2) 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 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.

Parameter(s):

SNOW COVER

Platform(s):

Aqua

Sensor(s):

MODIS

Data Format(s):

HDF-EOS2

Temporal Coverage:

4 July 2002 to 3 January 2007

Temporal Resolution:

8 day

Spatial Resolution:

0.05 deg

0.05 deg

Spatial Reference System(s):

Not Specified

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.

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Data Access & Tools

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

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General Questions & FAQs

Can I merge different MODIS collections?

For the snow cover and sea ice products, users can use MODIS Collections 6 and 6.1 together.

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Data products from VIIRS are created to be similar to MODIS data products to ensure the continuity needed for the development of snow and sea ice climate records beyond the life expectancy of MODIS. The temporal resolution and spatial extent are identical in MODIS and VIIRS.

Missing and delayed MODIS data

The lag time between observations and availability of MODIS products is only a few days. Lag time may be extended due to satellite maneuvers and extra quality assurance required for the geolocation data after the maneuver.

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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