MODIS/Aqua Land Surface Temperature/3-Band Emissivity 5-Min L2 1km V061

The MYD21 Version 6.1 Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity (LST&E) swath data product is produced daily in five minute temporal increments of satellite acquisition. The swath is approximately 2,030 pixels along track and 1,354 pixels per line, at a nadir resolution of 1,000 meters. The MYD21 Land Surface Temperature (LST) algorithm differs from the MYD11 algorithm in that the MYD21 LST algorithm is based on the ASTER Temperature/Emissivity Separation (TES) technique, whereas the MYD11 uses the split-window technique. The MYD21 TES algorithm uses a physics-based algorithm to dynamically retrieve both LST and spectral emissivity simultaneously from the MODIS thermal infrared bands 29, 31, and 32. The TES algorithm is combined with an improved Water Vapor Scaling (WVS) atmospheric correction scheme to stabilize the retrieval during very warm and humid conditions. Additional details regarding the method used to create this Level 2 (L2) product are available in the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD). 

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated January 6, 2026, 21:31 (UTC)
Created January 6, 2026, 21:31 (UTC)
accessRights <p>View access rights at: https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/engage/open-data-services-software-policies/data-use-guidance</p>
creationMethod <p>Raw data collected via NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).</p>
creatorEmail
creatorName
dataAuthType public
dataType HDF-EOS2
datasetPageUrl https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/data/catalog/lpcloud-myd21-061
datasetVersion v6.1
docsURL https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/documents/1398/MOD21_User_Guide_V61.pdf
doi https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MYD21.061
issueDate 2002-07-04
lastUpdateDate 2026-01-05
license other
ndp_creator_md5 e22ccfac8fe6a68759e60ced39f231b9
otherLicense See license at: https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/engage/open-data-services-software-policies/data-use-guidance
pocEmail lpdaac@usgs.gov
pocName LP DAAC
publisherEmail Edward.J.Masuoka@nasa.gov
publisherName NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/TISL/MODAPS
purpose <p><br></p>
spatialCov N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180
spatialCovFormat text
spatialRes 1000 meter
status submitted
theme ["satellite-data","remote-sensing"]
updateFreq Daily
uploadType dataset
usageInfo <p>View usage info at: https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/engage/open-data-services-software-policies/data-use-guidance</p>
versionNotes <p><span style="color: rgb(46, 46, 50);">The following changes and improvements were implemented for inputs to MODIS Version 6.1 land surface temperature and 3-band emissivity data products: (1) Version 6.1 Level-1B (L1B) products have been improved by undergoing various calibration changes that include: changes to the response-versus-scan angle (RVS) approach that affects reflectance bands for Aqua and Terra MODIS, corrections to adjust for the optical crosstalk in Terra MODIS infrared (IR) bands, and corrections to the Terra MODIS forward look-up table (LUT) update for the period 2012 – 2017, (2) A polarization correction has been applied to the L1B Reflective Solar Bands (RSB), (3) The product utilizes GEOS data replacing MERRA2, and (4) Three new CMG products are available in the MxD21 suite (MxD21C1/C2/C3).</span></p>