B
Acronyms and Abbreviations
4DDA
four-dimensional data assimilations
AATSR
Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer
ACE 1, 2, and 3
Aerosol Characterization Experiments
ADEOS-2 or ADEOS-3
Advanced Earth Observation Satellite, also, Advanced Earth Observing System
ADM
Angular Directional Model
AERI
Atmospheric Emitted Radiation Interferometer
AERONET
Aerosol Robotic Network
AIRMISR
Airborne Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer
AIRS
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
AirSAR
Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar
ALI
Advanced Land Imager
AM-1 or AM-2
morning platform 1 or 2
AMSU-A
Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit A
AMSU-B
Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit B
AOS
Aerosol Observation System
ARM
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement
ASTER
Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer
ATMS
Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder
ATSR
Along Track Scanning Radiometer
AVHRR
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
AVIRIS
Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer
BOREAS
Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study
BRDF
bidirectional reflectance distribution function
CAC
Climate Analysis Center
C-band
microwave wavelength used in radar signals
CCD
charge-coupled device
CCN
cloud condensation nuclei
CDOM
colored dissolved organic matter
CEOS
Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
CERES
Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System
CES
Committee on Earth Studies
CHEM
satellite to measure atmospheric chemistry
CMIS
Conical Scanning Microwave Imager/Sounder
CNES
Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales
CrIS
Cross-Track Infrared Sounder
CRWP
Climate Requirements Workshop Report
CSA
Canadian Space Agency
CZCS
Coastal Zone Color Scanner
DEM
Digital Elevation Model
DIAL
Differential Absorption Laser
DMS
dimethyl sulfide
DMSP
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
DOD
Department of Defense
DOE
Department of Energy
EC
elemental carbon
ECS
EOSDIS Core System
EDR
environmental data record
ENSO
El Niño/Southern Oscillation
ENVISAT
Environmental Satellite (European Space Agency's first research polar platform)
EO-1
Earth Observer 1, first satellite of the New Millennium Program
EOS
Earth Observing System
EOS AM
Earth Observing System Morning Satellite
EOS PM
Earth Observing System Afternoon Satellite
EOSDIS
Earth Observing System Data and Information System
EOSP
Earth Observing Scanning Polarimeter
EP
Earth Probes
ERB
Earth Radiation Budget
ERBE
Earth Radiation Budget Experiment
ERBS
Earth Radiation Budget Satellite
EROS
Earth Resources Observation Satellite or System
ER-2
NASA-ER2 high-altitude research aircraft
ERS
Earth Resources Satellite
ESA
European Space Agency
ESE
Earth Science Enterprise
ESS
Earth System Science
ESSIPs
Earth System Science Information Partnerships
ESSP
Earth System Science Pathfinder
ESTAR
Electronically Scanned Thinned Array Radiometer
ETM+
Enhanced Thematic Mapper
EUMETSAT
European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization
FIFE
First ISLSCP Field Experiment
FMOC
Fleet Meteorology and Oceanography Center
FOV
field of view
FTS
Fourier transform spectrometer
FWHM
full width at half maximum (bandwidth)
GAC
Global Area Coverage
GAIM
Global Analysis, Interpretation, and Modeling
GCIP
GEWEX Continental-scale International Project
GCM
general circulation model
GCOS
Global Climate Observing System
GCRP
Global Change Research Program
GCS
gas-correlation spectrometer
GEO
geosynchronous Earth orbit
GERB
Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget
GEWEX
Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment
GEWEX PILPS
GEWEX Project for Intercomparison of Land-Surface Parameterization Schemes
GHG
greenhouse gas
GLI
Global Imager
GLIS
Global Land Information System
GODAE
Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment
GOES
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
GOFC
Global Observation of Forest Cover
GOME
Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment
GPP
gross primary productivity
GPS
Global Positioning System
GSFC
Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA)
GTOS
Global Terrestrial Observing System
HALOE
Halogen Occulation Experiment
HAPEX
Hydrological-Atmospheric Pilot Experiment
HDF
hierarchical data format
hh-polarization
horizontally polarized emitting and receiving radar signals
HIRDLS
High-Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder
HIRS
High-Resolution Infrared Sounder
HIS
High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder
IAM
integrated assessment model
IASI
Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer
IGAC
International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Program
IGBP
International Geosphere-Biosphere Program
IGBP-DIS
IGBP data and information system
IGBP/IHDP LUCC
IGBP/International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change/Land-Use and Land-Cover Change
IGOS
International Global Observing Strategy
IGPO
International GEWEX Project Office
IHDP
International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change
IIP
Instrument Incubator Program
ILAS
Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer
IOCCG
International Ocean Color Coordinating Group
IOM
Institute of Medicine
IORD
Integrated Operational Requirements Document
IORD-1
Integrated Operational Requirements Document (First Version)
IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IPO
Integrated Program Office
IR
infrared
IRS
Indian Remote Sensing (series of satellites)
ISLSCP
International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project
JERS
Japan's Earth Resources Satellite
JPL
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
KVR-1000
the Russian panchromatic band
LAI/FPAR or LAI/fPAR
leaf area index/fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation
Landsat
Land Remote Sensing Satellite
LBA
Large Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment in the Amazon
L-band
low-frequency
LEO
low Earth orbit
LightSAR
Light Synthetic Aperture Radar
LITE
Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment
M-AERI
Marine-Atmospheric Emitted Radiation Interferometer
MAS
MODIS Airborne Simulator
MASTER
multiband optical and thermal infrared sensor
MCSST
Multi-Channel SST (algorithm)
MERIS
Medium-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer
METEOR
Russian Operational Weather Satellite
METEOSAT
European Geostationary Meteorological Satellite
METOP
Meteorological Operational satellite
METOP-3
EUMETSAT Operational Polar Orbiter 3
MIPAS
Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding
MISR
Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer
MLS
Microwave Limb Sounder
MODIS
Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
MSG
METEOSAT Second Generation
MSS
Multispectral Scanner
MSU
Microwave Sounding Unit
MWIR
medium wavelength infrared
NASA
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASDA
National Space Development Agency-Japan
NAVO
Naval Oceanographic Office
NCEP
National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Climate Prediction Center
NDVI
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index
NEΔL
noise-equivalent delta radiance
NEMO
Naval Earth Map Observer
NESDIS
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
NetCDF
network Common Data Format
NEP
net ecosystem productivity
Nimbus-7
NASA Environmental Research Satellite Series, 7
NIR
near infrared
NIST
National Institute of Standards and Technology
NLSST
Non-Linear SST (algorithm)
NMP
New Millennium Program
NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NPOESS
National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System
NPP
NPOESS Preparatory Project
NRC
National Research Council
NWP
Numerical Weather Prediction
OCTS
Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (on ADEOS-1)
OMI
Ozone Monitoring Instrument
OMPS
Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite
OPT
Ozone Processing Team
ORACLE
Ozone Research with Advanced Cooperative Lidar Experiments
Orbimage-2
Orbital Science's Imaging Satellite 2
OSIP
Operational Satellite Improvement Program
OTIS
Ocean Thermal Optimum Interpolation System
PALSAR
phased-array type L-band synthetic aperture radar
P-band
microwave wavelength used in radar signals
PI
principal investigator
PICASSO-CENA
Pathfinder Instruments for Clouds and Aerosols using Spaceborne Observations-Climatologie Etendue des Nuages et des Aerosols
PM-1 or PM-2
afternoon platform 1 or 2
PMC
polar mesospheric cloud
POAM
Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement
POES
Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite
POLDER
Polarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances
PSC
polar stratospheric cloud
RADARSAT
Canada's Synthetic Aperture Radar Satellite
RAL/UK
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory/United Kingdom
rms
root mean square
SAFARI
Southern African Fires Atmosphere Research Initiative
SAGE
Satellite Aerosol and Gas Experiment
SAM
Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement
SAR
synthetic aperture radar
SBUV
Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet
SCIAMACHY
Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography
SeaWiFS
Sea Viewing Wide-Field-of-View Sensor
S-GLI
S-Global Imager
SIMBIOS
Sensor Intercomparison and Merger for Biological and Interdisciplinary Oceanic Studies
SIR-C
Shuttle Imaging Radar-C
SIR-C/X SAR
Shuttle Imaging Radar-C/X-band synthetic aperture radar
SMMR
Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer
SNR
signal-to-noise ratio
SOLVE
SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment
SPOT
Systeme pour l'Observation de la Terre (France)
SSBUV
Space Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet
SSMI
Special Sensor Microwave/Imager
SSM/T/1
DMSP Microwave Temperature Sounder
SSM/T/2
DMSP Microwave Water Vapor Profiler
SST
sea surface temperature
SVAT
soil vegetation atmosphere transfer
TARFOX
Tropospheric Aerosol Radiation Forcing Observation Experiment
TDR
time domain reflectivity
TES
Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer
TIROS
Television Infrared Observation Satellite
TIROS-N
fourth-generation NOAA polar-orbiting operational environmental satellite
TM
Thematic Mapper
TOA
top of the atmosphere
TOMS
Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer
TOPC
Terrestrial Observation Panel for Climate
TOVS
TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder
TRMM
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
UARS
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
USDA
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USGCRP
U.S. Global Change Research Program
UV
ultraviolet
VCL
Vegetation Canopy Lidar
VIIRS
Visible/Infrared Imager and Radiometer Suite
VNIR
visible and near infrared
VOCs
volatile organic carbons
vv-polarization
Vertically polarized emitting and receiving radar signals
WCRP
World Climate Research Program
WMO
World Meteorological Organization
WOCE
World Ocean Circulation Project
x-band
Microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum defined by wavelengths of approximately 2.4 to 3.8 cm
