AAE

Australasian Antarctic Expedition (of 1911–14)

AAP

Australian Antarctic Programme

AARI

Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (Russia)

ACW

Antarctic Circumpolar Wave

ADEOS

Advanced Earth Observing Satellite

AFTN

Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network

AGO

Automatic Geophysical Observatory

AIRS

Atmospheric Infra–red Sounder

AMC

Antarctic Meteorological Centre

AMRC

Antarctic Meteorological Research Center (Wisconsin–Madison University)

AMSL

Above Mean Sea Level

AMSU

Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit

ANARE

Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition

ACC

Antarctic Circumpolar Current

APT

Automatic Picture Transmission

ATCM

Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting

ATOVS

Advanced TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS)

AVHRR

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer

AWC

Aviation Weather Center (USA)

AWSs

Automatic Weather Station(s)

BAS

British Antarctic Survey

BUFR

Binary Universal Format for the Representation of meteorological data

CAT

Clear Air Turbulence

CD

Compact Disk

CFC

Chloro–Flouro-Carbon

CHINARE

Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition

CIMSS

Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (Wisconsin–Madison University)

CLW

Cloud Liquid Water

COMET

Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training

COMNAP

Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs

COSMIC

Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate

CVA

Cyclonic Vorticity Advection

DCP

Data Collection Platform

DCS

Data Collection System

DMSP

Defense Meteorological Satellite Program

DWD

Deutscher Wetterdienst (German Meteorological Service)

ECMWF

European Centre for Medium–range Weather Forecasts

EOS

Earth Observing System

EOSDIS

EOS Data and Information System

EPIC

Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera

ERS

European Remote Sensing Satellite

ESA

European Space Agency

ESSA

Environmental Science Services Administration (USA)

EUMETSAT

Europe's Meteorological Satellite Organisation

FGGE

First GARP Global Experiment

FROST

First Regional Observing Study of the Troposphere

FTP

File Transfer Protocol

GALE

Genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment

GARP

Global Atmospheric Research Project

GASP

Global Assimilation Prediction (model)

GCOS

Global Climate Observing System

GIFTS

Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer

GMDSS

Global Maritime Distress and Safety System

GMS

Geostationary Meteorological Satellite

GOES

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite

GOMS

Geostationary Operational Meteorological Satellite

GPS

Global Positioning System

GTS

Global Telecommunications System

HF

High Frequency

HIRS

High–resolution Infra–red Radiation Sounder

HRPT

High Resolution Picture Transmission

IAGO

Interaction–Atmosphère–Glace–Océan

ICAO

International Civil Aviation Authority

IFR

Instrument Flight Rules

IFREMER

Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer

IGY

International Geophysical Year

IMD

India Meteorological Department

INSAT

India Satellite

IPAB

International Programme for Antarctic Buoys

IPV

Isentropic Potential Vorticity

IR

Infra–Red

ISCCP

International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project

JMA

Japan Meteorological Agency

JARE

Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition

JPL

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)

KHI

Kelvin–Helmholtz instability

LAPS

Limited Area Prediction System

LST

Local Standard Time

McIDAS

Man computer Interactive Data Access System

METAR

Meteorological Aerodrome Reports

MPIA

Mount Pleasant International Airport

MODIS

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

MOP

Meteosat Operational Program

MOS

Model Output Statistics

MSG

Meteosat Second Generation

MSL

Mean Sea Level

MSLP

Mean Sea Level Pressure

MSU

Microwave Sounding Unit

MTSAT

Multifunctional Transport Satellite

NACA

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (USA)

NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (USA)

NCEP

National Centers for Environmental Protection (USA)

NESDIS

National Environmental Satellite, Data & Information Service (NOAA)

NIC

National Ice Center (USA)

NIPR

National Institute of Polar Research (Japan)

NMOC

National Meteorological & Oceanographic Centre (ABOM)

NOAA

National Oceanographic and Aeronautical Administration (USA)

NOGAPS

Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (USA)

NPOESS

National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System

NPP

(NPOESS Preparatory Platform)

NSCAT

NASA Scatterometer

NSIDC

National Snow & Ice Data Center (University of Colorado, USA))

NWP

Numerical Weather Prediction

OLS

Operational Linescan System

OSW

Ocean–Surface Winds

PNRA

Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide

(Italian Antarctic Research Programme)

POES

Polar Operational Environmental Satellite

PPT

Parts Per Thousand

PSR

Point of Safe Return

RAAs

Representative Antarctic Atmospheres

RADARSAT

Radar Satellite (Canada)

RMS

Root Mean Square

READER

Reference Antarctic Data for Environmental Research

ROFOR

Route Forecast

SANAE

South African National Antarctic Expedition

SAR

Synthetic Aperture Radar

SAWB

South African Weather Bureau

SCAR

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research

SeaWIFS

Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor

SOLAS

Safety of Life at Sea

SOP

Special Observing Period (FROST Project)

SPAWAR

Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (USA)

SSEC

Space Science and Engineering Center (Wisconsin–Madison University)

SSM/I

Special Sensor Microwave/Imager

SSM/T

Special Sensor Microwave/Temperature

SSM/T2

Special Sensor Microwave Water–Vapour Sounder

SST(s)

Sea Surface Temperature(s)

SSU

Stratospheric Sounding Unit

SVP

Surface Velocity Programme

SWE

Strong Wind Event

TACAN

Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) (system)

TIR

Thermal Infra–Red

TIROS

Television Infra–red Observation Satellite

TNB

Terra Nova Bay

TOMS

Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer

TOVS

TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder

TPW

Total Precipitable Water

TTF

Trend Type Forecasts

UCAR

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (Colorado, USA)

UK

United Kingdom

URL

Uniform Resource Locator

UNAVCO

University Navstar Consortium

US or USA

United States of America

USAP

United States Antarctic Program

UTC

Universaile Tempes du Coordinaire (or Coordinated Universal Time)

VAACs

Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres

VFR

Visual Flight Rules

VMC

Visual Meteorological Conditions

VIS

Visible light

VOS

Voluntary Observing Ship

WAM

Wave Model

WMO

World Meteorological Organization

WWW

World Wide Web

SI–based unit

ACRONYMS used for SI unit

Alternative

Non SI Unit used

ACRONYM used

for Non–SI unit

Kelvin

K

Celsius/Fahrenheit

ºC/ºF

hectopascal

hPa

kilometre

km

nautical mile

nm

metre

m

foot

ft

metre per second

m s^-1

knot

kt

centimetre

cm

millimetre

mm

watt

W

geopotential metre

gpm

decametre

dam

geopotential decametre

gpdm

Mbps

Megabits per second

Dobson Unit

DU