Climate Acronym List
Climate Science Acronyms and web addresses:
AAAS American Academy of Arts and Sciences www.amacad.org/
AAS American Astronomical Society www.aas.org/
AASC American Association of State Climatologists www.stateclimate.org/
AC Arctic Council www.arctic-council.org/
ACIA Arctic Climate Impact Assessment www.acia.uaf.edu/
ACRIM Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor www.acrim.com/
AGU American Geophysical Union www.agu.org/
AIRS Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder airs.jpl.nasa.gov
AMB Australian Meteorological Bureau www.bom.gov.au/index.shtml
AMS American Meteorological Society www.ametsoc.org/
AR4 IPCC Working Group 1: The Physical Basis of Climate Change ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/wg1-report.html
CCSP Climate Change Science Program www.climatescience.gov/
CDIAC Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center www.cdiac.ornl.gov/
CERN Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire public.web.cern.ch/Public/Welcome.html
CIRES Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences cires.colorado.edu/
CLIVAR Climate Variability and Predictability Experiment www.clivar.org/
CLOUD Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets cloud.web.cern.ch/cloud/
CPC Climate Prediction Center www.cpc.noaa.gov/
ECMWF European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts www.ecmwf.int/
EUMETSAT European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites www.eumetsat.int/Home/index.htm?l=en
GAW Global Atmosphere Watch www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/gaw/gaw_home_en.html
GCOS Global Climate Observing System www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/interproj/gcos/
GECC UK Global Environmental Change Committee www.ukgecc.org/
GHCN Global Historical Climate Network (GHCN) Monthly Data www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/ghcn-monthly/index.php
GISS Goddard Institute for Space Studies www.giss.nasa.gov/
GFDL Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory www.gfdl.noaa.gov/
GFSC Goddard Space Flight Center www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html
GHCC Global Hydrology & Climate Center 198.122.199.231/ghcc_home.html
GODAE Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment www.godae.org/
GOOS Global Ocean Observing System www.ioc-goos.org/
GOS Global Observing System www.wmo.ch/pages/prog/www/OSY/GOS.html
GTOS Global Terrestrial Observing System www.fao.org/gtos/
IASC International Arctic Science Committee www.iasc.se/
ICECAP International Climate and Environmental Change Assessment Project icecap.us/index.php
ICSU International Council for Science www.icsu.org/index.php
IOC Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission ioc.unesco.org/iocweb/index.php
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change www.ipcc.ch/
LAADS Level 1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System ladsweb.nascom.nasa.gov/
MBL Marine Biological Laboratory (aka Woods Hole) www.mbl.edu/index.html
METHC Met Office Hadley Centre www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/hadleycentre/
NAMMA NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses namma.msfc.nasa.gov/
NAS National Academy of Sciences www.nas.edu/
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration www.nasa.gov/
NCAR National Center for Atmospheric Research www.ncar.ucar.edu/
NCDC National Climatic Data Center www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html
NCEP National Centers for Environmental Prediction www.ncep.noaa.gov/
NHC National Hurricane Center www.nhc.noaa.gov/
NSF National Science Foundation www.nsf.gov/
NSIDC National Snow and Ice Data Center nsidc.org/
NOAA National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration www.noaa.gov/
NRC National Research Council www.nationalacademies.org/nrc/
NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service www.nrcs.usda.gov/
NWS National Weather Service www.nws.noaa.gov/
PMOD Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos/World Radiation Center www.pmodwrc.ch/pmod.php?topic=tsi/composite/SolarConstant
RMetS Royal Meteorological Society www.rmets.org/
RSS Remote Sensing Systems www.remss.com/msu/msu_browse.html
SAR Second Assessment Report IPCC 1995 www.ipcc.ch/pub/sa(E).pdf
SPPI Science and Public Policy Institute www.sppionline.org/Home/tabid/53/Default.aspx
TAR Third Assessment Report IPCC 2001 www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/index.htm
TRMM Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission www.eorc.jaxa.jp/TRMM/index_e.htm
UAH University of Alabama in Huntsville, Atmospheric Science Department www.nsstc.uah.edu/atmos/
UCAR University Corporation for Atmospheric Research www.ucar.edu/
USGCRP US Global Change Research Program www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/default.php
USHCN United States Historical Climatology Network www.cdiac.ornl.gov/epubs/ndp/ushcn/newushcn.html
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme www.unep.org/
UW University of Washington Department of Atmospheric Sciences www.atmos.washington.edu/
WCRP World Climate Research Programme wcrp.wmo.int/
WGMS World Glacier Monitoring Service www.geo.unizh.ch/wgms/index.html
WMO World Meteorological Organisation www.wmo.ch/pages/index_en.html
ONI Office of Naval Intelligence www.nmic.navy.mil/
Climate Science Abbreviations
AAC Antarctic Convergence
AAIW Antarctic Intermediate Water
AAM Atmospheric Angular Momentum
AAO Antarctic Oscillation
ACE Accumulated Cyclone Energy
ACIA Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
ACR Active Cavity Radiometer
ADRF Aerosol Direct Radiative Forcing
AEW African Easterly Waves
AGHG Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas
AIRF Aerosol Indirect Radiative Forcing
AMO Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation
AMSR Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer
AMSU Atmospheric Microwave Sounding Unit
AO Arctic Oscillation (aka NAM)
AOD Aerosol Optical Depth
AOGCM Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Model
ARF Aerosol Radiative Forcing
ARIMA AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average
BC Black Carbon
BT Brightness Temperature
CAPE Convective Available Potential Energy
CAS Climate Analysis System
CDW Circumpolar Deep Water
CIR Co-rotating Interaction Region (Solar)
CCN Cloud Condensation Nuclei
CINE Convection Inhibition Energyterminus United States
COT Cloud Optical Thickness
CRE Cloud Radiative Effect
CRF Cosmic Ray Flux
CRII Cosmic Ray Induced Ionisation
DEAD Dust Entrainment and Deposition
DIC Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
DLF Downward Longwave Flux
DMSP Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
DTR Diurnal Temperature Range
DVI Dust Veil Index
DWBC Deep Western Boundary Current
ELE Extinction Level Event
ENSO El Nino Southern Oscillation
EOF Empirical Othogonal Function
EOS Earth Observing System
ERBE The Earth Radiation Budget Experiment
FACE Free Air Carbon Enrichment
FAR First Assessment Report IPCC 1990
FEM Field-dynamical Earth Model
FTE Flux Transfer Event
GCM General Circulation Model
GCM Global Circulation Model
GCM Global Climate Model
GCR Galactic Cosmic Ray
GHG Greenhouse Gas
GIA Glacial Isostatic Adjustment
GMF Geomagnetic Field
GMST Global Mean Surface Temperature
GOSTA Global Ocean Surface Temperature Atlas
GRL Geophysical Research Letters
GW Global Warming
HCS Heliospheric Current Sheet
hPa Hectopascal, a unit used worldwide for air pressure equal to 1 cmH2O pressure
ICM Isopycnic Coordinate Model
IERS The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service
IGY International Geophysical Year
IKE Integrated Kinetic Energy
IMF Interplanetary Magnetic Field
IOD Indian Ocean Dipole
IR Infra Red
IRD Ice-Rafted Debris
ISO IntraSeasonal Oscillations
ITCZ Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone
LACC Low Altitude Cloud Cover
LCC Land-Cover Change
LCL Lifting Condensation Level
LFC Level of Free Convection
LFO Low-Frequency Oscillation
LGM Last Glacial Maximum
LI Lifted Index
LIA Little Ice Age
LNB Level of Neutral Bouyancy
LOD Length of Day
LOR Outgoing Long Wave Radiation
LTE Local Thermal Equilibrium
LTS Lower-Tropospheric Stability
LUC Land-Use Change
LW LongWave
LWC Liquid Water Content
MAGICC Model for the Assessment of Greenhouse gas Induced Climate Change
MAT Marine Air Temperature
MDV Multi-Decadal Variability
MEI Multivariate ENSO Index
MJO Madden-Julian Oscillation
MOC Meridional Overturning Circulation (Thermo-Haline Circulation)
MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
MPA Mobile Polar Anticyclone
MPI Maximum Potential Intensity
MSD Mean Square Differences
MSLP Mean Sea-Level Pressure
MSU Microwave Sounding Unit
MWP Medieval Warm Period
NAD North Atlantic Drift
NADW North Atlantic Deep Water
NARR North American Regional Reanalysis
NAM Northern Annular Mode (aka AO)
NAO North Atlantic Oscillation
NATL North Atlantic Tropical Latitude
NH Northern Hemisphere
NHS Northern Hemisphere Summer
NHW Northern Hemisphere Winter
NPO North Pacific Oscillation
NRF Non-Resonant Frequency
NUV Near Ultra Violet
NWI New Water Impoundments
NWP Numerical Weather Prediction
OHC Ocean Heat Content
OLR Outflowing Long Wave Radiation
OMR Observation Minus Reanalysis
ONI Oceanic Niño Index
OPAC Optical Properties of Aerosol and Cloud
OSISAF Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility
OST Ocean Surface Topography
OWI Ocean Winds Imaging
PBS Peripheral Bulge Subsidence (The opposite of PGR)
PDF Probability Distribution Function
PDO Pacific Decadal Oscillation
PDI Palmer Drought Index (of Moisture)
PDI Power Dissipation Index (of Hurricanes)
PGR Post Glacial Rebound
POD Period of Data
QBO Quasi-Biennial zonal wind Oscillation
RCM Regional Climate Model
SAO Semi-Annual Oscillation
SAR Synthetic Aperture Radar
SAT Surface Air Temperature
SBC Sector Boundary Crossing
SCENGEN (Regional climate) SCENario GENerator
SH Southern Hemisphere
SHAP Station History Adjustment Program
SHS Southern Hemisphere Summer
SHW Southern Hemisphere Winter
SLP Sea Level Pressure
SOI Southern Oscillation Index
SRB Surface Radiation Budget
SRES Special Report on Emissions Scenarios
SSM/I Special Sensor Microwave/Imager
SST Sea Surface Temperature
SSTA Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly
SSW Sudden Stratospheric Warming
STP Standard Temperature and Pressure
STS Sub Tropical Storms
SW ShortWave
TAR IPCC Third Assessment Report
TEF Total Energy Flux
TC Tropical Cyclone
THC Thermo-Haline Circulation (Meridional Overturning Circulation)
TCHP Tropical Cyclone Heat Potential
TLT Tropical Lower Troposphere
TOA Top of Atmosphere
TOBS Time of Observation (Bias)
TSI Total Solar Irradiance
UHI Urban Heat Island
UNWMO United Nations World Meteorological Organization
USHCN US Historical Climate Network
VAI Vorticity Area Index
VAMOS Variability of the American Monsoon Systems
VEI Volcanic Explosivity Index
VOCALS Variability of Ocean Cloud Atmosphere Land Study
WAIS West Antarctic Ice Sheet
