Status for: Snow Cover/Sea Ice (MOD10/29)
The MODIS snow cover product (MOD10) is at Stage 3 validation.
The accuracy of the Terra MODIS snow cover product has been assessed at around 93% for detection of snow cover as reported in various peer-reviewed publications over the past 23 years. That accuracy applies to the most favorable viewing conditions of clear sky, near nadir, and snow depth greater than about 2 cm. The accuracy of the MODIS snow cover product varies with land cover type, viewing geometry, and cloud conditions, factors that should be considered when using the snow cover product.
Accuracy has been assessed in peer-reviewed research using the Level-3 MOD10A1 product. The MOD10A1 product is the Level-2 MOD10 snow cover product projected to the sinusoidal projection; thus, the accuracy applies to both the MOD10 and MOD10A1 products. Accuracy of the daily cloud-gap-filled product MOD10A1F may be affected by temporal factors and the daily climate modeling grid (CMG) MOD10C1 may be affected by spatial sampling factors. However, significant deviations in accuracy have not been observed or reported in those higher-level products.
The Aqua MODIS snow cover product (MYD10) accuracy is reduced by up to a few percent from Terra (MOD10) and is attributed to changes in the Aqua snow cover and cloud mask algorithms made to work around the loss of Aqua MODIS band 6. Peer-reviewed research using both Terra and Aqua snow cover products reports slightly lower accuracy for Aqua compared to Terra.
Validation at stage 2 has been achieved for the MODIS Sea Ice product (MOD29).
The MOD29 sea ice cover, and ice surface temperature accuracies have been assessed in several peer-reviewed publications. Under the best conditions of clear skies and a dry atmosphere, near nadir view, the accuracy of sea ice cover is estimated to be near 90%, and ice surface temperature accuracy is estimated to be ±1-2 K. However, the presence of fog and the difficulty of discriminating clouds from sea ice greatly influences the accuracy.
Terra and Aqua Passivation
NASA plans for passivation (decommissioning) of Terra in FY2027, possibly in September 2026, and Aqua in FY2027, possibly in July 2026.
Product version: Collection 6.1
| Title: Evaluating MODIS snow products using an extensive wildlife camera network |
| Author: Breen, C., C. Vuyovich, J. Odden, D. Hall and L. Prugh |
| Source: Remote Sensing of Environment, 2023 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Comparison of VIIRS and NOAA/Rutgers IMS snow-cover frequency maps of North America |
| Author: Hall, D.K., G.A. Riggs, N.E. DiGirolamo, T.W. Estilow and D.A. Robinson |
| Source: Proceedings of the 78th Eastern Snow Conference, virtual meeting, 2022 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Continuity of MODIS and VIIRS snow cover extent data products for development of an Earth Science Data Record |
| Author: Riggs, G.A. and Hall, D.K. |
| Source: Remote Sensing, 12:3781, 2020 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Evaluation of MODIS and VIIRS cloud-gap-filled snow-cover products for production of an Earth science data record |
| Author: Dorothy K. Hall, George A. Riggs, Nicolo E. DiGirolamo, and Miguel O. Román |
| Source: Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 5227–5241, 2019 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Detection of earlier snowmelt in the Wind River Range, Wyoming, using Landsat imagery, 1972-2013 |
| Author: Dorothy K. Hall, Christopher J. Crawford, Nicolo E. DiGirolamo, James L. Foster |
| Source: Remote Sensing of Environment, Volume 162, 1 June 2015, Pages 45-54 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: MODIS Terra Collection 6 fractional snow cover validation in mountainous terrain during spring snowmelt using Landsat TM and ETM+ |
| Author: Crawford, C.J. |
| Source: Hydrological Processes, Vol. 29, No. 1, 12-138, 2015 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: MODIS Snow Cover Mapping Accuracy in a Small Mountain Catchment - Comparison between Open and Forest Sites |
| Author: J. Parajka, L. Holko, Z. Kostka, and G. Blöschl |
| Source: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences,16:2365-77 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: MODIS Snow and Ice Products - Assessment and Applications |
| Author: Riggs, G.A. and D.K. Hall, Bhaskar Ramachandran (ed.) |
| Source: Land Remote Sensing and Global Environmental Change - NASA's Earth Observing System and the Science of ASTER and MODIS, Springer, pp. 681-707. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-6749-7_30 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Development and Evaluation of a Cloud-Gap-Filled MODIS Daily Snow-Cover Product |
| Author: Hall, D.K., G.A. Riggs, J.L. Foster, S. Kumar |
| Source: Remote Sensing of Environment, 114 (2010), 496-503, doi:10.1016/j.rse.2009.10.007 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Accuracy assessment of the MODIS snow products |
| Author: Dorothy K. Hall and George A. Riggs |
| Source: Hydrological Processes, 21, 1534-1547 (2007) |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Commentary on comparison of MODIS snow cover and albedo products with ground observations over the mountainous terrain of Turkey |
| Author: A. Ü. Şorman, Z. Akyürek, A. Şensoy, A. A. Şorman, and A. E. Tekeli |
| Source: Hydrol. Earth Sys. Sci. Discuss., v. 3, no. 6, 3655-3673, 2006 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Validation of the MODIS snow product and cloud mask using student and NWS cooperative station observations in the Lower Great Lakes Region |
| Author: Timothy W. Ault , Kevin P. Czajkowski , Teresa Benko, James Coss, Janet Struble, Alison Spongberg, Mark Templin, Christopher Gross |
| Source: Remote Sensing of Environment 105 (2006) 341-353 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Validation of MODIS Snow Cover Images Over Austria |
| Author: J. Parajka and G. Blöschl |
| Source: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 10(5): 679-689. |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: An approach to using snow areal depletion curves inferred from MODIS and its application to land surface modelling in Alaska |
| Author: Stephen J. Déry, Vincent V. Salomonson, Marc Stieglitz, Dorothy K. Hall, Igor Appel |
| Source: Hydrological Processes, 19, 2755-2774 (2005) |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Comparison of MODIS Daily Global Fractional Snow Cover Maps at 0.05 and 0.25 Degree Resolutions |
| Author: George A. Riggs, Nicolo Digirolamo, Dorothy K. Hall |
| Source: 62nd EASTERN SNOW CONFERENCE Waterloo, ON, Canada 2005 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: A comparison of MODIS and NOHRSC snow-cover products for simulating streamflow using the Snowmelt Runoff Model |
| Author: Songweon Lee, Andrew G. Klein and Thomas M. Over |
| Source: Hydrological Processes 19, 2951-2972 (2005) |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Updating a Land Surface Model with MODIS-Derived Snow Cover |
| Author: Matt Rodell and Paul R. Houser |
| Source: Journal of Hyrdrometerology, v 5, p. 1064 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Sea Ice Surface Temperature Product From MODIS |
| Author: Hall, D.K., J. R. Key, K. A. Casey, G. A. Riggs, D. J. Cavalieri |
| Source: IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 42, No. 5, May 2004 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: Validation of daily MODIS snow cover maps of the Upper Rio Grande River Basin for the 2000-2001 snow year |
| Author: Andrew G. Klein, Ann C. Barnett |
| Source: Remote Sensing of Environment 86 (2003) 162-176 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
| Title: MODIS snow-cover products |
| Author: Hall, D.K., G.A. Riggs, V.V. Salomonson, N.E. DiGirolamo and K.J. Bayr |
| Source: Remote Sensing of Environment, 83 (2002) 181 - 194 |
| View Abstract and Access Publication |
