Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

A Global Land Cover Climatology Using MODIS Data

Patrick D. Broxton Department of Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

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Xubin Zeng Department of Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

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Damien Sulla-Menashe Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts

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Peter A. Troch Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

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Print Publication:
01 Jun 2014
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-13-0270.1
Page(s):
1593–1605
Restricted access

Abstract

Global land cover data are widely used in weather, climate, and hydrometeorological models. The Collection 5.1 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Land Cover Type (MCD12Q1) product is found to have a substantial amount of interannual variability, with 40% of land pixels showing land cover change one or more times during 2001–10. This affects the global distribution of vegetation if any one year or many years of data are used, for example, to parameterize land processes in regional and global models. In this paper, a value-added global 0.5-km land cover climatology (a single representative map for 2001–10) is developed by weighting each land cover type by its corresponding confidence score for each year and using the highest-weighted land cover type in each pixel in the 2001–10 MODIS data. The climatology is validated by comparing it with the System for Terrestrial Ecosystem Parameterization database as well as additional pixels that are identified from the Google Earth proprietary software database. When compared with the data of any individual year, this climatology does not substantially alter the overall global frequencies of most land cover classes but does affect the global distribution of many land cover classes. In addition, it is validated as well as or better than the MODIS data for individual years. Also, it is based on higher-quality data and is validated better than the Global Land Cover Characteristics database, which is based on 1 year of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer data and represents a widely used first-generation global product.

Corresponding author address: Patrick Broxton, Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, 1118 E. 4th St., The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0081. E-mail: broxtopd@email.arizona.edu

Abstract

Global land cover data are widely used in weather, climate, and hydrometeorological models. The Collection 5.1 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Land Cover Type (MCD12Q1) product is found to have a substantial amount of interannual variability, with 40% of land pixels showing land cover change one or more times during 2001–10. This affects the global distribution of vegetation if any one year or many years of data are used, for example, to parameterize land processes in regional and global models. In this paper, a value-added global 0.5-km land cover climatology (a single representative map for 2001–10) is developed by weighting each land cover type by its corresponding confidence score for each year and using the highest-weighted land cover type in each pixel in the 2001–10 MODIS data. The climatology is validated by comparing it with the System for Terrestrial Ecosystem Parameterization database as well as additional pixels that are identified from the Google Earth proprietary software database. When compared with the data of any individual year, this climatology does not substantially alter the overall global frequencies of most land cover classes but does affect the global distribution of many land cover classes. In addition, it is validated as well as or better than the MODIS data for individual years. Also, it is based on higher-quality data and is validated better than the Global Land Cover Characteristics database, which is based on 1 year of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer data and represents a widely used first-generation global product.

Corresponding author address: Patrick Broxton, Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, 1118 E. 4th St., The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0081. E-mail: broxtopd@email.arizona.edu
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Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology

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