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MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)

The MODIS instrument is a highly sensitive radiometer operating in 36 spectral bands ranging from 0.4μm to 14.4μm. Two bands are imaged at a nominal resolution of 250m at nadir, five bands at 500m, and the remaining 29 bands at 1km. MODIS is operating onboard Terra and Aqua. Terra was launched in December 1999 and Aqua in May 2002. A ±55° scanning pattern at 705km altitude achieves a 2,330km swath that provides global coverage every one to two days. Aqua has a 1:30am/pm equator crossing time while Terra has a 10:30am/pm equator crossing time, meaning that MODIS data is typically available on a daily basis. MODIS data are free of charge and can be accessed online. In general, the range of surface temperature values is dependent on the time of acquisition, and is greater for Aqua. The downscaling approaches based on optical data requires a strong coupling between surface temperature and surface soil moisture, which commonly occurs in areas where surface evaporation is not energy limited and when solar radiation is relatively high (usually between 11 am and 3 pm). Therefore MODIS on Aqua (1:30 pm) is more relevant than MODIS on Terra for downscaling purposes. MODIS coverage for the Murrumbidgee Catchment is summarised in the tables below. MODIS data can be downloaded from NASA.

Mission	MODIS
Sensor	Medium-resolution, multi-spectral, cross-track scanning radiometer
Spacecraft	Terra	Aqua
Launch date	18th, Dec. 1999	4th, May 2002
Design life (year)	6	6
Orbit	Near-polar orbit. Cross the equator at 10:30 a.m.(descending node)	Sun-synchronous, near-polar orbit at an altitude of 705 km. Cross the equator at local time ~1:30 p.m. (ascending node) and ~1:30 a.m. (descending).
Spacecraft Operations Control Centre	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Center Frequency (GHz)	36 spectral bands; 21 within 0.4-3.0 μm; 15 within 3-14.5 μm.
Spatial resolution (km)	Two bands are imaged at a nominal resolution of 250 m at nadir, with five bands at 500 m, and the remaining 29 bands at 1 km
Incidence Angle (°)	±55
Swath (km)	2330
Temporal resolution (day)	1~2

MODIS-Aqua overpass time

MODIS-Aqua coverage for the Murrumbidgee Catchment during the AACES-2 campaign has been calculated by a Fortran program based on NORAD data for 29th, Aug. 2010, and is summarized in the table below. Date and time are in UTC. Aircraft flights were assumed to be conducted at 7:45 for descending overpass and 20:35 for ascending overpass.

	: Transect flight within 6 hours		: Patch flight within 6 hours
●	: Fully covered	○	: Partially covered

UTC Date

Start UTC Time

Duration (s)

Flight

Patch

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

2010/09/08

4:33:35

352

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/08

15:35:38

359

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/09

3:38:22

331

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/09

14:41:19

287

○

○

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/09

16:19:40

209

●

●

●

○

○

2010/09/10

4:21:04

374

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/10

15:23:21

360

T01

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/11

3:26:29

283

○

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/11

5:05:04

216

●

●

●

●

○

○

2010/09/11

14:29:51

208

○

○

●

●

●

2010/09/11

16:06:42

293

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

○

2010/09/12

4:08:40

380

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/12

15:11:05

360

P04

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/13

3:14:58

187

○

●

●

2010/09/13

4:52:16

294

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

○

2010/09/13

15:54:05

336

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/14

3:56:24

368

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/14

14:58:58

347

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/15

4:39:42

337

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/15

15:41:39

356

P05

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/16

3:44:15

346

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/16

14:47:02

314

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/16

16:26:21

122

○

○

2010/09/17

4:27:11

364

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/17

15:29:22

359

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/18

3:32:15

311

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/18

5:11:34

145

●

○

○

2010/09/18

14:35:22

255

P06

○

○

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/18

16:13:00

257

P06

●

●

●

●

●

●

○

2010/09/19

4:14:42

379

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/19

15:17:03

361

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/20

3:20:30

245

○

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/20

4:58:29

260

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

○

2010/09/20

14:24:10

145

○

●

2010/09/20

16:00:13

318

P07

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/21

4:02:22

376

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/21

15:04:52

355

P08

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/22

3:09:33

71

○

2010/09/22

4:45:50

317

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/22

15:47:41

349

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/23

3:50:09

358

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/23

14:52:49

333

T02

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/24

4:33:17

352

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/24

15:35:20

359

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/25

3:38:04

332

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/25

14:41:00

289

○

○

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/25

16:19:24

205

●

●

●

○

2010/09/26

4:20:46

374

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

MODIS-Terra overpass time

MODIS-Terra coverage for the Murrumbidgee Catchment during the first AACES campaign have been determined from a Fortran program based on NORAD data for 29th, Aug. 2010, and are summarized in the table below. The date and time are UTC time. Aircraft flights were assumed to be conducted at 7:45 for descending overpass and 20:35 for ascending overpass.

	: Transect flight within 6 hours		: Patch flight within 6 hours
●	: Fully covered	○	: Partially covered

UTC Date

Start UTC Time

Duration (s)

Flight

Patch

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

2010/09/08

0:16:59

361

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/08

12:20:09

281

○

○

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/08

13:58:43

217

●

●

●

●

○

○

2010/09/08

23:23:31

207

○

○

●

●

●

2010/09/09

1:00:21

294

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

○

○

2010/09/09

13:02:20

380

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/10

0:04:45

360

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/10

12:08:39

185

○

●

●

2010/09/10

13:45:56

295

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/11

0:47:46

336

T01

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/11

12:50:05

368

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/11

23:52:40

346

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/12

13:33:24

337

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/13

0:35:21

356

P04

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/13

12:37:58

346

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/13

23:40:45

314

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/14

1:20:03

124

○

○

2010/09/14

13:20:54

365

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/15

0:23:05

359

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/15

12:25:59

311

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/15

14:05:18

146

●

○

○

2010/09/15

23:29:07

254

P05

○

○

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/16

1:06:44

258

P05

●

●

●

●

●

●

○

2010/09/16

13:08:27

379

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/17

0:10:49

360

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/17

12:14:16

244

○

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/17

13:52:14

261

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

○

2010/09/17

23:17:56

144

○

●

2010/09/18

0:53:59

318

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/18

12:56:09

376

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/18

23:58:38

355

P06

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/19

12:03:22

66

○

2010/09/19

13:39:37

317

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/20

0:41:29

348

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/20

12:43:57

358

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/20

23:46:37

334

P07

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/21

13:27:06

352

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/22

0:29:09

359

P08

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/22

12:31:53

332

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/22

23:34:50

289

○

○

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/23

1:13:13

207

●

●

●

○

2010/09/23

13:14:36

374

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/24

0:16:53

361

T02

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/24

12:20:01

284

○

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/24

13:58:38

214

●

●

●

●

○

2010/09/24

23:23:23

210

○

○

●

●

●

2010/09/25

1:00:16

291

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

○

2010/09/25

13:02:13

380

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/26

0:04:39

359

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

2010/09/26

12:08:30

190

○

●

●

2010/09/26

13:45:50

293

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

○