ACE

Aerosol Characterization Experiment

ACE-1

(Southern Hemisphere Marine) Aerosol Characterization Experiment

ACRIM

Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor

ADEOS

Advanced Earth Observing System

AF

Air Force

AMIP

Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project

AMS

American Meteorological Society

AOML

Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory

AOT

aerosol optical thickness

ARM

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (Program)

ASOS

Automated Surface Observation System

AVHRR

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (satellite instrument)

AWIPS

Automated Weather Interactive Processing System

BASC

Board on Atmospheric Science and Climate

CAAA-90

Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990

CAAI

Committee on Atmospheric Applications and Information

CAPE

convective available potential energy

CAPS

Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms

CASH

Commercial Aviation Sensing Humidity (Program)

CASR

Committee on Atmospheric Services and Research

CBL

convective boundary layer

CCM

Community Climate Model

CCN

cloud condensation nuclei

CDNC

cloud droplet number concentration

CEDAR

Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions

CEES

Committee on Earth and Environmental Sciences

CENR

Committee on Environment and Natural Resources

CERN

Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire

CFC

chlorofluorocarbon

CLIVAR

Climate Variability and Prediction Program

CME

coronal mass ejection

COARE

Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA)

COMET

Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education, and Training

CSSP

Committee on Solar and Space Physics

CSTR

Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Research

Dec-Cen

climate variability on decade-to-century time scales (WCRP)

DIAL

differential absorption lidar

DMS

dimethyl sulfide

DOC

U.S. Department of Commerce

DOD

U.S. Department of Defense

DOE

U.S. Department of Energy

DOI

U.S. Department of the Interior

DU

Dobson unit

EMEP

Cooperative Programme for the Monitoring and Evaluation of Long Range Air Pollutants in Europe

ENSO

El Niño/Southern Oscillation

EOS

Earth Observing System

EPA

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ERBE

Earth Radiation Budget Experiment

ERS-1

European Remote Sensing Satellite

EUV

extreme ultraviolet

FAA

Federal Aviation Administration

FCCSET

Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology

FY

Fiscal Year

GCM

general circulation model

GCOS

global climate observing system

GDP

Gross Domestic Product

GEM

Geospace Environment Modeling

GEWEX

Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment

GISS

Goddard Institute for Space Studies

GLOBE

Global Learning and Observing to Benefit the Environment

GOALS

Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System

GOES

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite

GONG

Global Oscillation Network Group

GPS

global positioning system

GTS

global telecommunication system

HCFC

hydrochlorofluorocarbon

HF

high frequency

HIS

high-resolution interferometer sounder

ICAS

Interdepartmental Committee for Atmospheric Sciences

IGAC

International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (project)

IMF

interplanetary magnetic field

IN

ice nucleus

IOM

Institute of Medicine

IPCC

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

IS

incoherent scatter

ISCCP

International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project

JMA

Japan Meteorological Agency

KPNO

Kitt Peak National Observatory

LAWS

Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder

LEARN

Laboratory Experience in Atmospheric Research at NCAR

LES

large eddy simulation

LTER

Long-Term Ecological Research

MBA

masters of business administration

MCS

mesoscale convective system

MF

medium frequency

MPP

massively parallel processor

MRF

Medium-Range Forecasting

MST

mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere

MUF

maximum usable frequency

NAAQS

National Ambient Air Quality Standard

NAE

National Academy of Engineering

NARSTO

North American Research Strategy on Troposphere Ozone

NAS

National Academy of Sciences

NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NCAR

National Center for Atmospheric Research

NCEP

National Centers for Environmental Prediction

NCLAN

National Crop Loss Assessment Network

NCTM

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

NDSC

Network for Detection of Stratospheric Change

NESDIS

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service

NEXRAD

Next Generation Weather Radar

NHC

nonmethane hydrocarbon

NIMBUS

series of experimental environmental research satellites

NMC

National Meteorological Center

NOAA

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NRC

National Research Council

NSF

National Science Foundation

NSTC

National Science and Technology Council

NSWP

National Space Weather Program

NWP

numerical weather prediction

NWS

National Weather Service

OFCM

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology

ONR

Office of Naval Research

OSSE

observing system simulation experiment

OSTP

Office of Science and Technology Policy

PCB

polychlorinated biphenyl

PM

particulate matter

PSC

polar stratospheric cloud

QBO

quasi-biennial oscillation

RASS

radioacoustic sounding system

RISE

Radiative Inputs of the Sun to Earth

SAGE

Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment

SAR

Subcommittee on Atmospheric Research

SBUV

Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Spectrometer

SEASAT

sea satellite (U.S. oceanographic satellite)

SEP

solar energetic particle

SGS

subgrid scale

SMM

Solar Maximum Mission

SOHO

Solar and Heliospheric Observatory

SSM/I

Special Sensor Microwave/Imager

SST

sea surface temperature

SSTA

sea surface temperature anomoly

STE

stratosphere-troposphere exchange

SUNRISE

Sun's Radiative Inputs from Sun to Earth Program

TAO

Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (array) (TOGA)

TOGA

Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (program)

TOMS

Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer

TRMM

Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission

UARS

Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

UAV

unmanned aerospace vehicle

UCAR

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

UK

United Kingdom

UN

United Nations

USDA

U.S. Department of Agriculture

USGCRP

U.S. Global Change Research Program

USWRP

U.S. Weather Research Program

UV

ultraviolet

VLF

very low frequency

VOC

volatile organic compound

WCRP

World Climate Research Programme

WFO

Weather Forecast Office

WMO

World Meteorological Organization

WOCE

World Ocean Circulation Experiment

WSR-88D

Weather Service Radar (U.S. National Weather Service) 1988 Doppler Weather Radar System

WWW

World Weather Watch (U.N.)

WWW

World Wide Web

XBT

expendable bathythermograph

YMP

CRAY supercomputer model