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Landsat Surface Reflectance measures the fraction of incoming solar radiation reflected from Earth's surface to the Landsat sensor.
Technical information about Collection 2 Surface Reflectance including algorithms, documentation, data access, and data tools.
Return to Landsat Science Products Overview
Surface reflectance improves comparison between multiple images over the same region by accounting for atmospheric effects such as aerosol scattering and thin clouds, which can help in the detection and characterization of Earth surface change. Surface reflectance is generated from Level-1 inputs that meet the <76 degrees Solar Zenith Angle constraint and include the required auxiliary data inputs to generate a scientifically viable product.
Please note: To ensure accurate analysis of Landsat Surface Reflectance data, it's essential to apply the appropriate scaling factors to convert digital numbers (DN) to meaningful reflectance values.
Landsat Surface Reflectance data are available globally in 30-meter spatial resolution for the following instruments:
Please note that Level-2 Multispectral Scanner (MSS) surface reflectance products will only become available upon the maturity of an operational atmospheric compensation algorithm which satisfies the USGS Landsat program requirements.
A summary of the enhancements and improvements between Collection 1 and Collection 2 is provided in this quick reference guide.
Chesapeake Bay is the Nation's largest estuary and its restoration and protection is a priority. The USGS provides scientific information to help manage this vital ecosystem. As part of that role, staff at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center created this true color composite image.
Chesapeake Bay is the Nation's largest estuary and its restoration and protection is a priority. The USGS provides scientific information to help manage this vital ecosystem. As part of that role, staff at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center created this true color composite image.
Chesapeake Bay is the Nation's largest estuary and its restoration and protection is a priority. The USGS provides scientific information to help manage this vital ecosystem. As part of that role, staff at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center created this true color composite image.
Chesapeake Bay is the Nation's largest estuary and its restoration and protection is a priority. The USGS provides scientific information to help manage this vital ecosystem. As part of that role, staff at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center created this true color composite image.