AI-generated Key Takeaways
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The MOD10A2 dataset provides information on snow cover, collected by the MODIS sensor on the Terra satellite, spanning from February 18, 2000, to January 25, 2025.
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This dataset reports the maximum snow cover extent over eight-day periods at a 500-meter resolution, with data provided by NASA NSIDC DAAC at CIRES.
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The dataset includes the maximum snow extent observed over eight days, and a snow chronology bitmask, both of which use specific value ranges to represent no snow, cloud cover, or snow.
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The data is collected daily, and the eight day collection period is chosen to match the exact ground track of the Terra and Aqua platforms.
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Users can access and analyze the dataset using Google Earth Engine, which is free for research, education, and nonprofit purposes, and can be registered to gain access.
- Dataset Availability
- 2000-02-18T00:00:00Z–2025-09-22T00:00:00Z
- Dataset Provider
- NASA NSIDC DAAC at CIRES
- Cadence
- 1 Day
- Tags
Description
MOD10A2 is a snow cover dataset from the MODIS on the Terra satellite. The dataset reports the maximum snow cover extent during an eight-day period at the resolution of 500 m.
An eight-day compositing period was chosen because that is the exact ground track repeat period of the Terra and Aqua platforms. Snow cover over eight days is mapped as maximum snow extent in one SDS and as a chronology of observations in the other SDS. Eight-day periods begin on the first day of the year and extend into the next year. The product can be produced with two to eight days of input. There may not always be eight days of input, because of various reasons, so the user should check the attributes to determine on what days observations were obtained.
Bands
Pixel Size
500 meters
Bands
| Name | Min | Max | Pixel Size | Description | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maximum_Snow_Extent |
0 | 255 | meters | Maximum snow extent observed over an eight-day period. |
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Eight_Day_Snow_Cover |
meters | Snow chronology bit flags for each day in the eight-day observation period. |
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Maximum_Snow_Extent Class Table
| Value | Color | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | None | Missing data |
| 1 | None | No decision |
| 11 | None | Night |
| 25 | None | No snow |
| 37 | None | Lake |
| 39 | None | Ocean |
| 50 | None | Cloud |
| 100 | None | Lake ice |
| 200 | None | Snow |
| 254 | None | Detector saturated |
Terms of Use
Terms of Use
You may download and use photographs, imagery, or text from the NSIDC web site, unless limitations for its use are specifically stated. For more information on usage and citing NSIDC datasets, please visit the NSIDC 'Use and Copyright' page.
Citations
Hall, D. K., V. V. Salomonson, and G. A. Riggs. 2016. MODIS/Terra Snow Cover Daily L3 Global 500m Grid. Version 6. Boulder, Colorado USA: NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center.
DOIs
Explore with Earth Engine
Code Editor (JavaScript)
var dataset = ee.ImageCollection('MODIS/061/MOD10A2') .filter(ee.Filter.date('2023-01-01', '2023-12-01')) .select('Maximum_Snow_Extent'); var visualization = { min: 50.0, max: 200.0, palette: [ '000000', '0dffff', '0524ff', 'ffffff' ] }; Map.setCenter(-3.69, 65.99, 4); Map.addLayer(dataset.mean(), visualization, 'Maximum_Snow_Extent');