Originally published by our Content Partner: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (other articles)

Acronyms & Regional Abbreviations

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• 20C3M 20^th Century Climate in Coupled Models

A

• AABW Antarctic Bottom Water

• AAIW Antarctic Intermediate Water

• AAO Antarctic Oscillation

• AATSR Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer

• ACC Antarctic Circumpolar Current

• ACCENT Atmospheric Composition Change: a European Network

• ACE Accumulated Cyclone Energy or Aerosol Characterization Experiment

• ACRIM Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor

• ACRIMSAT Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor Satellite

• ACW Antarctic circumpolar wave

• ADEC Aeolian Dust Experiment on Climate

• ADNET Asian Dust Network

• AeroCom Aerosol Model Intercomparison

• AERONET Aerosol RObotic NETwork

• AGAGE Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment

• AGCM Atmospheric General Circulation Model

• AGWP Absolute Global Warming Potential

• AIACC Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change in Multiple Regions and Sectors

• AIC aviation-induced cloudiness

• ALAS Autonomous LAgrangian Current Explorer

• ALE Atmospheric Lifetime Experiment

• AMIP Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project

• AMO Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation

• AMSU Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit

• AO Arctic Oscillation

• AOGCM Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Model

• APEX Atmospheric Particulate Environment Change Studies

• AR4 Fourth Assessment Report

• ARM Atmospheric Radiation Measurement

• ASOS Automated Surface Observation Systems

• ASTEX Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment

• ATCM Atmospheric Transport and Chemical Model

• ATSR Along Track Scanning Radiometer

• AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer

B

• BATS Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study

• BC black carbon

• BCC Beijing Climate Center

• BCCR Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research

• BIOME 6000 Global Palaeovegetation Mapping project

• BMRC Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre

C

• C⁴MIP Coupled Carbon Cycle Climate Model Intercomparison Project

• CaCO₃ calcium carbonate

• CAMS Climate Anomaly Monitoring System (NOAA)

• CAPE Convective Available Potential Energy

• CCl₄ carbon tetrachloride

• CCM Chemistry-Climate Model

• CCCma Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis

• CCN cloud condensation nuclei

• CCSR Centre for Climate System Research

• CDIAC Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center

• CDW Circumpolar Deep Water

• CERES Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System

• CERFACS Centre Europeen de Recherche et de Formation Avancee en Calcul Scienti?c

• CF₄ per?uoromethane

• CFC chloro?uorocarbon

• CFCl₃ CFC-11

• CH₂I₂ di-iodomethane (methylene iodide)

• CH₂O formaldehyde

• CH₃CCl₃ methyl chloroform

• CH₃COOH acetic acid

• CH₄ methane

• CLAMS Chesapeake Lighthouse and Aircraft Measurements for Satellites

• CLARIS Europe-South America Network for Climate Change Assessment and Impact Studies

• CLIMAP Climate: Long-range Investigation, Mapping, and Prediction

• CLIVAR Climate Variability and Predictability Programme

• CMAP CPC Merged Analysis of Precipitation

• CMDL Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (NOAA)

• CMIP Coupled Model Intercomparison Project

• CNRM Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques

• CO carbon monoxide

• CO₂ carbon dioxide

• CO₃^2– carbonate

• COADS Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set

• COARE Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment

• COBE-SST Centennial in-situ Observation-Based Estimates of SSTs

• COWL Cold Ocean-Warm Land

• CPC Climate Prediction Center (NOAA)

• CREAS Regional Climate Change Scenarios for South America

• CRIEPI Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry

• CRUTEM2v CRU/Hadley Centre gridded land-surface air temperature version 2v

• CRUTEM3 CRU/Hadley Centre gridded land-surface air temperature version 3

• CSIRO Commonwealth Scienti?c and Industrial Research Organization

• CTM Chemical Transport Model

D

• DEMETER Development of a European Multimodel Ensemble System for Seasonal to Interannual Prediction

• DIC dissolved inorganic carbon

• DJF December, January, February

• DLR Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt

• DMS dimethyl sulphide

• D-O Dansgaard-Oeschger

• DOC dissolved organic carbon

• DORIS Determination d’Orbite et Radiopositionnement Intégrés par Satellite

• DSOW Denmark Strait Over?ow Water

• DSP Dynamical Seasonal Prediction

• DTR diurnal temperature range

• DU Dobson unit

E

• EARLINET European Aerosol Research Lidar Network

• EBM Energy Balance Model

• ECMWF European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts

• ECS equilibrium climate sensitivity

• EDGAR Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research

• EMIC Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity

• ENSO El Niño-Southern Oscillation

• EOF Empirical Orthogonal Function

• EOS Earth Observing System

• EPICA European Programme for Ice Coring in Antarctica

• ERA-15 ECMWF 15-year reanalysis

• ERA-40 ECMWF 40-year reanalysis

• ERBE Earth Radiation Budget Experiment

• ERBS Earth Radiation Budget Satellite

• ERS European Remote Sensing satellite

• ESRL Earth System Research Library (NOAA)

• ESTOC European Station for Time-series in the Ocean

• EUROCS EUROpean Cloud Systems

F

• FACE Free Air CO₂ Enrichment

• FAO Food and Agriculture Organization (UN)

• FAR First Assessment Report

• FRCGC Frontier Research Center for Global Change

• FRSGC Frontier Research System for Global Change

G

• GAGE Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment

• GARP Global Atmospheric Research Program

• GATE GARP Atlantic Tropical Experiment

• GAW Global Atmosphere Watch

• GCM General Circulation Model

• GCOS Global Climate Observing System

• GCSS GEWEX Cloud System Study

• GEIA Global Emissions Inventory Activity

• GEOS Goddard Earth Observing System

• GEWEX Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment

• GFDL Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

• GHCN Global Historical Climatology Network

• GHG greenhouse gas

• GIA glacial isostatic adjustment

• GIN Sea Greenland-Iceland-Norwegian Sea

• GISP2 Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2

• GISS Goddard Institute for Space Studies

• GLACE Global Land Atmosphere Coupling Experiment

• GLAMAP Glacial Ocean Mapping

• GLAS Geoscience Laser Altimeter System

• GLODAP Global Ocean Data Analysis Project

• GLOSS Global Sea Level Observing System

• GMD Global Monitoring Division (NOAA)

• GOME Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment

• GPCC Global Precipitation Climatology Centre

• GPCP Global Precipitation Climatology Project

• GPS Global Positioning System

• GRACE Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment

• GRIP Greenland Ice Core Project

• GSA Great Salinity Anomaly

• Gt gigatonne (10⁹ tonnes)

• GWE Global Weather Experiment

• GWP Global Warming Potential

H

• H₂ molecular hydrogen

• HadAT Hadley Centre Atmospheric Temperature data set

• HadAT2 Hadley Centre Atmospheric Temperature data set Version 2

• HadCRUT2v Hadley Centre/CRU gridded surface temperature data set version 2v

• HadCRUT3 Hadley Centre/CRU gridded surface temperature data set version 3

• HadISST Hadley Centre Sea Ice and Sea Surface Temperature data set

• HadMAT Hadley Centre Marine Air Temperature data set

• HadRT Hadley Centre Radiosonde Temperature data set

• HadRT2 Hadley Centre Radiosonde Temperature data set version 2

• HadSLP2 Hadley Centre MSLP data set version 2

• HadSST2 Hadley Centre SST data set version 2

• HALOE Halogen Occultation Experiment

• HCFC hydrochloro?uorocarbon

• HCO₃^– bicarbonate

• HFC hydro?uorocarbon

• HIRS High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder

• HLM High Latitude Mode

• HNO₃ nitric acid

• HO₂ hydroperoxyl radical

• HONO nitrous acid

• HOT Hawaii Ocean Time-Series

• hPa hectopascal

• HYDE HistorY Database of the Environment

I

• IABP International Arctic Buoy Programme

• ICESat Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite

• ICOADS International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set

• ICSTM Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine

• IGBP International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme

• IGBP-DIS IGBP Data and Information System

• IGRA Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive

• IMO International Meteorological Organization

• INDOEX Indian Ocean Experiment

• InSAR Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar

• IO iodine monoxide

• IOCI Indian Ocean Climate Initiative

• IOD Indian Ocean Dipole

• IOZM Indian Ocean Zonal Mode

• IPAB International Programme for Antarctic Buoys

• IPO Inter-decadal Paci?c Oscillation

• IPSL Institut Pierre Simon Laplace

• IS92 IPCC Scenarios 1992

• ISCCP International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project

• ITCZ Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone

J

• JAMSTEC Japan Marine Science and Technology Center

• JJA June, July, August

• JMA Japan Meteorological Agency

K

• ka thousand years ago

• KMA Korea Meteorological Administration

• KNMI Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute

• kyr thousand year

L

• LASG National Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics

• LBA Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia

• LBC lateral boundary condition

• LBL line-by-line

• LGM Last Glacial Maximum

• LIG Last Interglacial

• LKS Lanzante-Klein-Seidel

• LLGHG long-lived greenhouse gas

• LLJ Low-Level Jet

• LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

• LMD Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique

• LOA Laboratoire d’Optique Atmospherique

• LOSU level of scienti?c understanding

• LSCE Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement

• LSM land surface model

• LSW Labrador Sea Water

• LW longwave

• LWP liquid water path

M

• µmol micromole

• Ma million years ago

• MAM March, April, May

• MARGO Multiproxy Approach for the Reconstruction of the Glacial Ocean surface

• mb millibar

• MDI Michelson Doppler Imager

• Meteosat European geostationary meteorological satellite

• MFR Maximum Feasible Reduction

• MHT meridional heat transport

• MINOS Mediterranean Intensive Oxidants Study

• MIP Model Intercomparison Project

• MIRAGE Megacity Impacts on Regional and Global Environments

• MISO Monsoon Intra-Seasonal Oscillation

• MISR Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer

• MJO Madden-Julian Oscillation

• MLS Microwave Limb Sounder

• MMD Multi-Model Data set (at PCMDI)

• MOC Meridional Overturning Circulation

• MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer

• mol mole

• MONEX Monsoon Experiment

• MOPITT Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere

• MOZAIC Measurement of Ozone by Airbus In-service Aircraft

• MPI Max Planck Institute

• MPIC Max Planck Institute for Chemistry

• MPLNET Micro-Pulse Lidar Network

• MRI Meteorological Research Institute of JMA

• MSLP mean sea level pressure

• MSU Microwave Sounding Unit

• Myr million years

N

• N₂ molecular nitrogen

• N₂O nitrous oxide

• N₂O₅ dinitrogen pentoxide

• NADW North Atlantic Deep Water

• NAH North Atlantic subtropical high

• NAM Northern Annular Mode

• NAMS North American Monsoon System

• NAO North Atlantic Oscillation

• NARCCAP North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program

• NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration

• NCAR National Center for Atmospheric Research

• NCDC National Climatic Data Center

• NCEP National Centers for Environmental Prediction

• NEAQS New England Air Quality Study

• NEP net ecosystem production

• NESDIS National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service

• NGRIP North Greenland Ice Core Project

• NH Northern Hemisphere

• NH₃ ammonia

• NH₄⁺ ammonium ion

• NIES National Institute for Environmental Studies

• NIWA National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research

• NMAT Nighttime Marine Air Temperature

• NMHC non-methane hydrocarbon

• NMVOC non-methane volatile organic compound

• NO nitric oxide

• NO₂ nitrogen dioxide

• NO₃ nitrate radical

• NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• NO_x reactive nitrogen oxides (the sum of NO and NO₂)

• NPI North Paci?c Index

• NPIW North Paci?c Intermediate Water

• NPP net primary productivity

• NRA NCEP/NCAR reanalysis

• NVAP NASA Water Vapor Project

O

• O(1D) oxygen radical in the 1D excited state

• O₂ molecular oxygen

• O₃ ozone

• OASIS Ocean Atmosphere Sea Ice Soil

• OCTS Ocean Colour and Temperature Scanner

• ODS ozone-depleting substances

• OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

• OGCM Ocean General Circulation Model

• OH hydroxyl radical

• OIO iodine dioxide

• OLR outgoing longwave radiation

• OMI Ozone Monitoring Instrument

• OPAC Optical Parameters of Aerosols and Clouds

P

• PCMDI Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison

• pCO₂ partial pressure of CO₂

• PDF probability density function

• PDI Power Dissipation Index

• PDO Paci?c Decadal Oscillation

• PDSI Palmer Drought Severity Index

• PET potential evapotranspiration

• PETM Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

• PFC per?uorocarbon

• Pg petagram (10¹⁵ grams)

• PMIP Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project

• PMOD Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos

• PNA Paci?c-North American pattern

• PNNL Paci?c Northwest National Laboratory

• PNV potential natural vegetation

• POA primary organic aerosol

• POC particulate organic carbon

• POLDER Polarization and Directionality of the Earth’s Re?ectance

• POM particulate organic matter

• ppb parts per billion

• ppm parts per million

• PR Precipitation Radar

• PREC/L Precipitation Reconstruction over Land

• PROVOST Prediction of Climate Variations on Seasonal to Interannual Time Scales

• PRP Partial Radiative Perturbation

• PSA Paci?c-South American pattern

• PSC polar stratospheric cloud

• PSMSL Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level

• PSU Pennsylvania State University

• psu Practical Salinity Unit

Q

• QBO Quasi-Biennial Oscillation

R

• RATPAC Radiosonde Atmospheric Temperature Products for Assessing Climate

• RCM Regional Climate Model

• REA Reliability Ensemble Average

• REML restricted maximum likelihood

• RF radiative forcing

• RFI Radiative Forcing Index

• RH relative humidity

• RMS root-mean square

• RSL relative sea level

• RSS Remote Sensing Systems

• RTMIP Radiative-Transfer Model Intercomparison Project

S

• SACZ South Atlantic Convergence Zone

• SAFARI Southern African Regional Science Initiative

• SAGE Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment or Centre for Sustainability and the Global Environment

• SAM Southern Annular Mode or Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement

• SAMS South American Monsoon System

• SAMW Subantarctic Mode Water

• SAR Second Assessment Report or Synthetic Aperture Radar

• SARB Surface and Atmosphere Radiation Budget

• SARR Space Absolute Radiometric Reference

• SAT surface air temperature

• SCA snow-covered area

• SCIAMACHY SCanning Imaging Absorption SpectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY

• SCM Simple Climate Model

• SeaWiFs Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor

• SF₆ sulphur hexa?uoride

• SH Southern Hemisphere

• SIO Scripps Institution of Oceanography

• SIS Small Island States

• SLE sea level equivalent

• SLP sea level pressure

• SMB surface mass balance

• SMM Solar Maximum Mission

• SMMR Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer

• SO Southern Oscillation

• SO₂ sulphur dioxide

• SO₄ sulphate

• SOA secondary organic aerosol

• SOHO Solar Heliospheric Observatory

• SOI Southern Oscillation Index

• SOM soil organic matter

• SON September, October, November

• SORCE Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment

• SPARC Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate

• SPCZ South Paci?c Convergence Zone

• SPM Summary for Policymakers

• SRALT Satellite radar altimetry

• SRES Special Report on Emission Scenarios

• SSM/I Special Sensor Microwave/Imager

• SST sea surface temperature

• STARDEX STAtistical and Regional dynamical Downscaling of EXtremes for European regions

• STE stratosphere-troposphere exchange

• STMW Subtropical Mode Water

• SUNY State University of New York

• Sv Sverdrup (10⁶ m³ s^–1)

• SW shortwave

• SWE snow water equivalent

• SWH signi?cant wave height

T

• τ_aeraerosol optical depth

• T/P TOPEX/Poseidon

• T12 HIRS channel 12

• T2 MSU channel 2

• T2LT MSU lower-troposphere channel

• T3 MSU channel 3

• T4 MSU channel 4

• TAR Third Assessment Report

• TARFOX Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Experiment

• TBO Tropospheric Biennial Oscillation

• TCR transient climate response

• TEAP Technology and Economic Assessment Panel

• TGBM Tide Gauge Bench Mark

• TGICA Task Group on Data and Scenario Support for Impact and Climate Analysis (IPCC)

• THC Thermohaline Circulation

• THIR Temperature Humidity Infrared Radiometer

• TIM Total Solar Irradiance Monitor

• TIROS Television InfraRed Observation Satellite

• TMI TRMM microwave imager

• TOA top of the atmosphere

• TOGA Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere

• TOM top of the model

• TOMS Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer

• TOPEX TOPography EXperiment

• TOVS TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder

• TransCom3 Atmospheric Tracer Transport Model Intercomparison Project

• TRMM Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission

• TSI total solar irradiance

U

• UAH University of Alabama in Huntsville

• UARS Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

• UCDW Upper Circumpolar Deep Water

• UCI University of California, Irvine

• UEA University of East Anglia

• UHI Urban Heat Island

• UIO University of Oslo

• UKMO United Kingdom Meteorological Office

• ULAQ University of L’Aquila

• UMD University of Maryland

• UMI University of Michigan

• UNEP United Nations Environment Programme

• UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

• USHCN US Historical Climatology Network

• UTC Coordinated Universal Time

• UTRH upper-tropospheric relative humidity

• UV ultraviolet

• UVic University of Victoria

V

• VIRGO Variability of Irradiance and Gravity Oscillations

• VIRS Visible Infrared Scanner

• VOC volatile organic compound

• VOS Voluntary Observing Ships

• VRGCM Variable-Resolution General Circulation Model

W

• W watt

• WAIS West Antarctic Ice Sheet

• WCRP World Climate Research Programme

• WDCGG World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases

• WGI IPCC Working Group I

• WGII IPCC Working Group II

• WGIII IPCC Working Group III

• WGMS World Glacier Monitoring Service

• WMDW Western Mediterranean Deep Water

• WMO World Meteorological Organization

• WOCE World Ocean Circulation Experiment

• WRE Wigley, Richels and Edmonds (1996)

• WWR World Weather Records

Z

• ZIA 0°C isotherm altitude

Regional Abbreviations used in Chapter 11

• ALA Alaska

• AMZ Amazonia

• ANT Antarctic

• ARC Arctic

• CAM Central America

• CAR Caribbean

• CAS Central Asia

• CGI East Canada, Greenland and Iceland

• CNA Central North America

• EAF East Africa

• EAS East Asia

• ENA Eastern North America

• IND Indian Ocean

• MED Mediterranean Basin

• NAS Northern Asia

• NAU North Australia

• NEU Northern Europe

• NPA North Paci?c Ocean

• SAF South Africa

• SAH Sahara

• SAS South Asia

• SAU South Australia

• SEA Southeast Asia

• SEM Southern Europe and Mediterranean

• SPA South Paci?c Ocean

• SSA Southern South America

• TIB Tibetan Plateau

• TNE Tropical Northeast Atlantic

• WAF West Africa

• WNA Western North America