MCD15A3H.061 MODIS Leaf Area Index/FPAR 4-Day Global 500m

Page Summary

• The MCD15A3H Version 6.1 MODIS dataset provides 4-day composite data of Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) and Leaf Area Index (LAI) at a 500-meter pixel size.

• Data is available from 2002-07-04 to 2025-10-08 and is provided by NASA LP DAAC at the USGS EROS Center.

• The dataset includes bands for FPAR, LAI, and associated quality control information.

• MODIS data and products have no restrictions on subsequent use, sale, or redistribution.

Dataset Availability

2002-07-04T00:00:00Z–2026-03-06T00:00:00Z

Dataset Producer

NASA LP DAAC at the USGS EROS Center

Earth Engine Snippet

ee.ImageCollection("MODIS/061/MCD15A3H")

Cadence

4 Days

Tags

fpar global lai modis nasa plant-productivity usgs vegetation

4-day

mcd15a3h

Description

The MCD15A3H Version 6.1 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Level 4, Combined Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR), and Leaf Area Index (LAI) product is a 4-day composite data set with 500 meter pixel size. The algorithm chooses the best pixel available from all the acquisitions of both MODIS sensors located on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites from within the 4-day period.

Documentation:

• User's Guide

• Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD)

• General Documentation

Bands

Bands

Pixel size: 500 meters (all bands)

Name	Min	Max	Scale	Pixel Size	Wavelength	Description
Fpar	0	100	0.01	500 meters	400-700nm	FPAR absorbed by the green elements of a vegetation canopy
Lai	0	100	0.1	500 meters	None	One-sided green leaf area per unit ground area in broadleaf canopies; one-half the total needle surface area per unit ground area in coniferous canopies
FparLai_QC				500 meters	None	Quality for Lai and Fpar
Bitmask for FparLai_QC Bit 0: MODLAND_QC bits 0: Good quality (main algorithm with or without saturation) 1: Other quality (back-up algorithm or fill values) Bit 1: Sensor 0: Terra 1: Aqua Bit 2: Dead detector 0: Detectors apparently fine for up to 50% of channels 1, 2 1: Dead detectors caused >50% adjacent detector retrieval Bits 3-4: Cloud state 0: Significant clouds NOT present (clear) 1: Significant clouds WERE present 2: Mixed cloud present in pixel 3: Cloud state not defined, assumed clear Bits 5-7: SCF_QC 0: Main (RT) method used with no saturation, best result possible 1: Main (RT) method used with saturation, good and very usable 2: Main (RT) method failed due to bad geometry, empirical algorithm used 3: Main (RT) method failed due to problems other than geometry, empirical algorithm used 4: Pixel not produced at all, value couldn''t be retrieved (possible reasons: bad L1B data, unusable MOD09GA data)
FparExtra_QC				500 meters	None	Extra detail quality for LAI and FPAR
Bitmask for FparExtra_QC Bits 0-1: Land-sea pass-thru 0: LAND 1: SHORE 2: FRESHWATER 3: OCEAN Bit 2: Snow ice 0: No snow/ice detected 1: Snow/ice detected Bit 3: Aerosol 0: No or low atmospheric aerosol levels detected 1: Average or high aerosol levels detected Bit 4: Cirrus 0: No cirrus detected 1: Cirrus detected Bit 5: Internal cloud mask 0: No clouds 1: Clouds were detected Bit 6: Cloud shadow 0: No cloud shadow detected 1: Cloud shadow detected Bit 7: SCF biome mask 0: Biome outside interval <1,4> 1: Biome in interval <1,4>
FparStdDev	0	100	0.01	500 meters	None	Standard deviation of Fpar
LaiStdDev	0	100	0.1	500 meters	None	Standard deviation for Lai

Terms of Use

Terms of Use

MODIS data and products acquired through the LP DAAC have no restrictions on subsequent use, sale, or redistribution.

Citations

Citations:

• Please visit LP DAAC 'Citing Our Data' page for information on citing LP DAAC datasets.

DOIs

• https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD15A3H.061

Explore with Earth Engine

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Code Editor (JavaScript)

var dataset = ee.ImageCollection('MODIS/061/MCD15A3H');
var defaultVisualization = dataset.first().select('Fpar');
var defaultVisualizationVis = {
  min: 0.0,
  max: 100.0,
  palette: ['e1e4b4', '999d60', '2ec409', '0a4b06'],
};
Map.setCenter(6.746, 46.529, 6);
Map.addLayer(
    defaultVisualization, defaultVisualizationVis, 'Default visualization');

Open in Code Editor

MCD15A3H.061 MODIS Leaf Area Index/FPAR 4-Day Global 500m

The MCD15A3H Version 6.1 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Level 4, Combined Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR), and Leaf Area Index (LAI) product is a 4-day composite data set with 500 meter pixel size. The algorithm chooses the best pixel available from all the acquisitions of both MODIS sensors …

MODIS/061/MCD15A3H, fpar,global,lai,modis,nasa,plant-productivity,usgs,vegetation

2002-07-04T00:00:00Z/2026-03-06T00:00:00Z

-90 -180 90 180

Google Earth Engine

https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets

• https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD15A3H.061
• https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD15A3H.061