The S-NPP Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument, a polar orbiting Earth remote sensing instrument built using a strong MODIS background, employs a similarly designed on-board calibrating source—a V-grooved blackbody for the Thermal Emissive Bands (TEB). The central wavelengths of most VIIRS TEBs are very close to those of MODIS with the exception of the 10.7 μm channel. T...

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is the keystone instrument for NASA’s EOS Terra and Aqua missions, designed to extend and improve heritage sensor measurements and data records of the land, oceans and atmosphere. The reflective solar bands (RSB) of MODIS covering wavelengths from 0.41 μm to 2.2 μm, are calibrated on-orbit using a solar diffuser (SD), with its on-orbit bi-di...

In this study, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) was spectrally cross-calibrated with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) EVI using a year-long, global VIIRS-MODIS dataset at the climate modeling grid (CMG) resolution of 0.05 ̋-by-0.05 ̋. Our cross-calibration approach was to utilize a MODIS-compatible VIIRS EVI equation de...

Total shortwave albedo is one key variable controlling the radiation energy budget of the land surface. Thus, the monitoring of its spatial and temporal variations is one important issue e.g. for the application of climate models. Routine albedo products are available from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), e.g. MODIS MCD43A3 as 16-day 500m combined product generated fro...

39 40 Land skin temperature (Ts) is an important parameter in the energy exchange 41 between the land surface and atmosphere. Here hourly Ts from the Community Land 42 Model Version 4.0, MODIS satellite observations, and in-situ observations in 2003 43 were compared. Compared with the in-situ observations over four semi-arid stations, 44 both MODIS and modeled Ts show negative biases, but MODIS...

Estimation of actual evapotranspiration (ET) for the Middle Rio Grande valley in central New Mexico via the METRIC surface energy balance model using MODIS and Landsat imagery is described. MODIS images are a useful resource for estimating ET at large scales when high spatial resolution is not required. One advantage of MODIS satellites is that images having a view angle < ~15° are potentially ...

Research has shown that remote sensing in both the optical and microwave domain has the capability of estimating vegetation water content (VWC). Though lower in spatial resolution than MODIS optical bands, AMSR-E microwave measurements are typically less affected by clouds, water vapor, aerosol or solar illumination, making them complementary to MODIS real time measurements over regions of clou...

An understanding of the surface albedo of high latitudes is crucial for climate change studies. MODIS albedo retrievals flagged as high quality compare well with in situ Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) measurements but cover too little area to fully characterize Greenland's albedo in non-summer months. In contrast, poor quality MODIS retrievals provide adequate spatio-temporal coverage, but ...

Aerosol optical thicknesses (AOTs) by the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spetroradiometer (MODIS) on-board Aqua and Terra satellites, and ground-based measurements of PM10 mass concentrations, collected over three years (2006–2008) at two suburban sites which are 20 km apart, are correlated to assess the use of satellite data for regional air quality studies over Southeastern Italy, in the central...

The shortwave broadband MODIS albedo has higher uncertainties over snow-covered land and at large Solar Zenith Angle (SZA). We have documented a systematic negative bias for SZA>55-60° in Greenland. This study uses in situ data from the Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) to characterize and empirically correct the MODIS snow albedo (MCD43C) bias at large SZA and thereby remediate the implied bi...