MODIS Airborne Simulator
Documents and Research
MAS Spectral Bands
The MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) records information in 50 multispectral bands at 16-bit resolution. Offered below is the nominal or target spectral band configuration for the instrument. Subtle differences in the MAS spectral calibration are reflected on each field experiment's web page. The MAS spectral data for Alaska-April95, ARMCAS, SCAR-B and SUCCESS is different than the current band set. In June 1996 MAS added a blue channel and shifted the mid-wave infrared. Earlier missions, (prior to 1995), had unique spectral band configurations which are offered on their respective Field Experiment Data pages.
(All values are in microns) 
Band  Left  Peak  Right
      50%   100%   50%
 01  0.445  0.465  0.485 


 02  0.528  0.549  0.570 


 03  0.629  0.655  0.680 


 04  0.682  0.702  0.723 


 05  0.722  0.743  0.764 


 06  0.803  0.825  0.846 


 07  0.846  0.867  0.887 


 08  0.887  0.907  0.928 


 09  0.928  0.947  0.967 


 10  1.616  1.642  1.668 


 11  1.672  1.697  1.723 


 12  1.724  1.750  1.775 


 13  1.777  1.801  1.826 


 14  1.830  1.855  1.879 


 15  1.880  1.904  1.929 


 16  1.931  1.955  1.979 


 17  1.980  2.005  2.029 


 18  2.031  2.055  2.079 


 19  2.079  2.104  2.128 


 20  2.129  2.153  2.177 


 21  2.178  2.202  2.226 


 22  2.228  2.252  2.267 


 23  2.278  2.302  2.326 


 24  2.327  2.351  2.375 


 25  2.376  2.400  2.425 


 26  3.038  3.119  3.200 


 27  3.207  3.281  3.355 


 28  3.352  3.433  3.514 


 29  3.517  3.594  3.671 


 30  3.672  3.745  3.817 


 31  3.827  3.907  3.987 


 32  3.993  4.071  4.148 


 33  4.136  4.170  4.203 


 34  4.340  4.403  4.466 


 35  4.465  4.540  4.616 


 36  4.618  4.698  4.777 


 37  4.779  4.854  4.929 


 38  4.930  5.003  5.077 


 39  5.089  5.159  5.229 


 40  5.241  5.307  5.374 


 41  5.359  5.398  5.436 


 42  8.339  8.537  8.734 


 43  9.454  9.722  9.991 


 44  10.278 10.507 10.736 


 45  10.776 11.012 11.247 


 46  11.776 11.986 12.196 


 47  12.713 12.901 13.089 


 48  13.041 13.270 13.500 


 49  13.549 13.807 14.075 


 50  14.051 14.239 14.428



12-Channel MAS / Spectral Band Configurations
Prior to 1995, the MAS data system was capable of recording only 12 spectral bands at 8-bit resolution. This required unique instrument configurations for each Field Experiment.
Column 1 is MAS Data Channel Number
Column 2 is MAS Spectral Band Number
Column 3 is wavelength at center 100% response (microns)
Column 4 is bandwidth at 50% response (microns)
FIRE Cirrus-II (First ISCCP Regional Experiment Cirrus IFO II) 
DATA CHANNEL   MAS BAND   CentralWavelength   50%Bandwidth     
    01       (bit bucket for 10-bit data: Channels 7,8,9,10)
    02           N/A          0.680             0.010
    03           N/A          1.630             0.050
    04           N/A          1.930             0.050 
    05           N/A          2.080             0.050
    06           N/A          2.130             0.050
    07           N/A          3.750             0.150
    08           N/A          4.650             0.150
    09           N/A          4.500             0.150 
    10           N/A          8.800             0.400
    11           N/A         10.950             0.500
    12           N/A         11.950             0.500
ASTEX (Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment) 
DATA CHANNEL   MAS BAND   CentralWavelength   50%Bandwidth     
    01     (bit bucket for 10-bit data: Channels 9,10,11,12)
    02           02           0.664             0.055
    03           07           0.875             0.041
    04           09           0.945             0.043
    05           10           1.623             0.057
    06           20           2.142             0.047
    07           31           3.725             0.151
    08           49          13.952             0.517
    09           42           8.563             0.396
    10           45          11.002             0.448
    11           48          13.186             0.352
    12           46          12.032             0.447
TOGA COARE (TOGA Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment) 
DATA CHANNEL   MAS BAND   CentralWavelength   50%Bandwidth     
    01     (bit bucket for 10-bit data: Channels 9,10,11,12)
    02           02           0.664             0.055
    03           07           0.875             0.041
    04           10           1.623             0.057
    05           14           1.830             0.050
    06           20           2.142             0.047
    07           31           3.725             0.151
    08           49          13.952             0.517
    09           42           8.563             0.396 
    10           45          11.002             0.448 
    11           48          13.186             0.352
    12           46          12.032             0.447
CEPEX (Central Equatorial Pacific Experiment) 
DATA CHANNEL   MAS BAND   CentralWavelength   50%Bandwidth     
    01     (bit bucket for 10-bit data: Channels 9,10,11,12)
    02           02           0.664             0.055
    03           07           0.875             0.041
    04           10           1.623             0.057
    05           15           1.880             0.050
    06           20           2.142             0.047
    07           31           3.725             0.151
    08           49          13.952             0.517
    09           42           8.563             0.396
    10           45          11.002             0.448
    11           48          13.186             0.352
    12           46          12.032             0.447
SCAR-A (Sulfates, Clouds and Radiation - America) 
DATA CHANNEL   MAS BAND   CentralWavelength   50%Bandwidth     
    01       (bit bucket for 10-bit data: Channels 9,10,11,12)
    02           01           0.547             0.043
    03           02           0.664             0.055
    04           07           0.875             0.041  
    05           09           0.945             0.043 
    06           15           1.880             0.050
    07           20           2.142             0.047
    08           31           3.725             0.151
    09           42           8.563             0.396
    10           45          11.002             0.448
    11           48          13.186             0.352
    12           46          12.032             0.447
BOREAS/FFC-W (Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study / Winter) 
DATA CHANNEL   MAS BAND   CentralWavelength   50%Bandwidth     
    01     (bit bucket for 10-bit data: Channels 9,10,11,12)
    02           01           0.547             0.043
    03           02           0.664             0.055 
    04           05           0.786             0.040
    05           06           0.834             0.042 
    06           07           0.875             0.041
    07           09           0.945             0.043 
    08           10           1.623             0.057
    09           15           1.830             0.050
    10           31           3.725             0.151 
    11           42           8.563             0.396 
    12           45          11.002             0.448
MAST (Monterey Area Ship Track Experiment) 
DATA CHANNEL   MAS BAND   CentralWavelength   50%Bandwidth     
    01       (bit bucket for 10-bit data: Channels 9,10,11,12)
    02           02           0.664             0.055  
    03           07           0.875             0.041 
    04           10           1.623             0.057
    05           15           1.880             0.050 
    06           20           2.142             0.047
    07           23           2.280             0.050
    08           32           3.900             0.150 
    09           31           3.725             0.151
    10           42           8.563             0.396
    11           45          11.002             0.448
    12           46          12.032             0.447
BOREAS/IFC-2 (Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study / Field Campaign 2) 
DATA CHANNEL   MAS BAND   CentralWavelength   50%Bandwidth     
    01           01           0.547             0.043
    02           02           0.664             0.055
    03           04           0.745             0.040 
    04           05           0.786             0.040
    05           06           0.834             0.042
    06           07           0.875             0.041
    07           09           0.945             0.043
    08           10           1.623             0.057
    09           20           2.142             0.047  
    10           32           3.900             0.150  
    11           45          11.002             0.448  
    12           46          12.032             0.447
SCAR-C (Sulfates, Clouds and Radiation - California) 
DATA CHANNEL   MAS BAND   CentralWavelength   50%Bandwidth     
    01       (bit bucket for 10-bit data: Channels 9,10,11,12)
    02           01           0.547             0.043  
    03           10           1.623             0.057        
    04           10           1.623             0.057     
    05           15           1.880             0.050   
    06           20           2.142             0.047 
    07           46          12.032             0.447   
    08           32           3.900             0.150  
    09           02           0.664             0.055         
    10           07           0.875             0.041          
    11           45          11.002             0.448         
    12           32           3.900             0.150

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