Evaluation of the VIIRS daily BRDF, NBAR, and Albedo product as compared to the MODIS V006 daily BRDF, NBAR, and Albedo product and in situ measurements

Yan Liu, University of Massachusetts Boston, yanliu827@gmail.com (Presenter)
Zhuosen Wang, NASA GSFC, zhuosen.wang@nasa.gov
Qingsong Sun, University of Massachusetts Boston, qingsong.sun@umb.edu
Crystal Schaaf, University of Massachusetts Boston, crystal.schaaf@umb.edu
Miguel O. Román, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, miguel.o.roman@nasa.gov
Angela Erb, University of Massachusetts Boston, angela.erb001@umb.edu

The MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) has been providing Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF), Nadir BRDF Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR) and albedo product since 2000. The BRDF describes how surface reflectances vary with viewing and solar geometries. A continuity product is being prepared for the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi-NPP satellite, launched on October 28, 2011, by utilizing a similar approach to the Collection V006 daily MODIS BRDF, NBAR, and Albedo product. This daily product continues to use 16-day period multispectral, cloud-cleared, atmospherically-corrected surface reflectances to fit the Ross-Thick/Li-Sparse-Reciprocal semi-empirical BRDF model. The multidate observations are weighted by quality, observation coverage and proximity to the production date of interest to produce a daily retrieval.

The design for VIIRS is not identical with that of MODIS. The spectral, angular and spatial differences of the specific land surface reflectance data can potentially cause differences in the BRDF, Albedo and NBAR product. Thus the two products are compared for continuity over the Sahara desert, New England forests and the Greenland ice sheet at the identical narrowbands. In order to ensure that the VIIRS product can continue to meet the requirements of land surface, climate, and biosphere models, VIIRS albedo is also compared with in situ albedo from Surface Radiation Budget Network (SURFRAD), Ameriflux, Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) and Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) sites. The VIIRS results are shown to agree well with both the MODIS and in situ data at these spatially representative locations.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Theme 3: Future research direction and priorities: perspectives relevant to the next decadal survey   (Mon 4:30 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Schaaf, Crystal: Albedo and Bidirectional Reflectance Climate Data Records from NPP/VIIRS ...details
• Schaaf, Crystal: Algorithm Refinement for the MODIS Bidirectional Reflectance/Albedo Product ...details
• Schaaf, Crystal: MODIS Albedo, Nadir Reflectance, and Reflectance Anisotropy for Environmental Modeling and Monitoring ...details

Poster Location ID: 205