Glossary
Given below in alphabetical order are general terms and definitions.
A
ACRIM
Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor
ADEOS
Advanced Earth Observation Satellite -2, Japan
AFD
Automated File Distributor (Communication server at DWD)
AGCM
Atmospheric Global Circulation Model
ADM
Angular Distribution Model
AIRS
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
AMSR (ADEOS-2)
Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (Advanced Earth Observation Satellite-2, Japan)
AMSR-E (EOS-PM-1)
Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-E (Earth Observing System-Post Meridiem Platform)
AMSU
Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit
AOML
Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory
ASCAT
Advanced Scatterometer proposed for METOP/EPS (Meteorological Operational Satellite European Polar System)
ATOVS
Advanced Tiros Operation Vertical Sounder
AVHRR
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
B
BRDF
Bi-directional Reflectivity Function
BSH
Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie
BSRN
Basis Surface Radiation Network
BUFR
Binary Universal Form for the Representation of Meteorological Data
C
CAC
Climate Analysis Center SST/Sea Ice Climatology (Washington)
CCM
Coupled Circulation Model
CDO
Climate Data Operators
CDS
Cloud Detection System
CERES
Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System
CFC
Fractional cloud cover
CLARA
CM SAF cLoud, Albedo and surface Radiation dataset from AVHRR data
CLIWANET
CLoud LIquid WAter NETwork
CM SAF
The Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF) is dedicated to
the high-quality long-term monitoring of the climate system's state and variability,
partly on the regional level. It supports the analysis and diagnosis of climate
parameters in order to detect and understand changes in the climate system. The SAF
furthermore serves the modelling of the atmospheric system as well as planning and
management purposes.
CORDEX
COordinated Regional climate Downscaling Experiment
COT
Optical depth
CPH
Cloud phase
CTH
Cloud top height
CTT
Cloud top temperature
CTY
Cloud type
CWP
Cloud water path
D
DADF
Data Acquisition and Dissemination Facility
DIARAD
Differential Absolute Radiometer
DOI
Digital Object Identifier
DKRZ
Deutsches Klima-RechenZentrum (German Climate Computing Center)
DLR
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt
DVD
Digital Versatile Disc
DWD
Deutscher Wetterdienst
E
ECMWF
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting
EPS
European polar system
ERB
Earth Radiation Budget
ERBE
Earth Radiation Budget Experiment
ERS-2
European Remote-sensing Satellite - 2
ESA PSS 05
European Space Agency Software Engineering Standards
EUMETSAT
European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
EUREF
EUropäisches REFerenznetz
F
FMI
Finnish Meteorological Institute
FTP
File Transfer Protocol
G
GERB
Global Earth Radiation Budget
GEWEX
Global Energy and Water cycle EXperiment
GISST
Globally complete historical Sea Surfac Temperature and sea ice concentration (run by UK MET Office)
GME
Global Modell Extended (global NWP model to be used operationally at DWD in 2000)
GOES
Global Observation Earth Satellite
GRAS-SAF
Global navigation satellite Receiver Atmospheric Sounder-SAF
GTS
Global Telecommunication System
GUI
Graphical User Interface
GvaP
GEWEX water Vapour Programme
H
HDF5
Hierarchical Data Format, Version 5
HCP
Humidity Composite Product
HLW
HCP-Layered Water Vapour
HSH
HCP-Specific Humidity
HTW
HCP-Total Water Vapour
HRIS
High Resolution Infrared Sounder
HRIT
High Rate Information Transmission
HRUS
High Rate User Stations
I
IASI
Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer
ICD
Interface Control Document
ICDS
Improve Cloud Detection System
ISCCP
International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project
IR
InfraRed
ISO
Internal State of the Ocean
ISS
International Space Station
J
K
KNMI
Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute
L
LPW
Layer Precipitable Water
LRIT
Low Rate Image Transfer
LUT
LookUp Table (data from RTMs)
M
MAP
Merged Atlantic Product (by O&SI-SAF)
METEOSAT
geostationary METeorological SATellite operated by EUMETSAT
MeteoSwiss
Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss
METOP
METeorological Operational satellite
MHS
Microwave Humidity Sounder
MMI
Man-Machine-Interface
MPEF
Meteorological Products Extraction Facility
MSG
Meteosat Second Generation
MSGGS
MSG Ground Segment
MTH
Middle Tropospheric Humidity
N
NCEP
National Center for Environmental Prediction
NetCDF
Network Common Data Format
NMS
National Meteorological Service
NOAA
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
NRT
Near Real Time
NWC-SAF
Nowcasting SAF
NWP
Numerical Weather Prediction
O
O3SAF
Ozone Satellite Application Facility
OGCM
Ocean Global Circulation Model
OFL
Off-line
OGE
Operation Ground Equipment of GOES satellites
O&SI-SAF
Ocean and Sea-ice Satellite Application Facility
P
PGE
Product Generation Element
PICARD
French microsatellite
Q
QuikSCAT
NASA's Quick Scatterometer replacing the failed NSCAT onboard ADEOS
R
RADR
Requirement analysis and Architectural Design Review
RMIB
Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium
RTM
Radiation Transfer Model
S
SZA
Solar Zenith Angle
SMHI
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute
SSM/I
Special Sensor Microwave/Imager
T
TBC
To be confirmed
TBD
To be defined/determined
TET
Emitted thermal radiative flux at the top of the atmosphere
TIM
Total Irradiance Monitor
TIS
Incoming solar radiative flux at the top of the atmosphere
TM
Task Manager for the CM SAF application
TPW
Total Precipitable Water
TRS
Reflected solar radiative flux at the top of the atmosphere
TOA
Top of the Atmosphere
U
UARS
Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite
UB/IUP
University of Bremen, Institut für Umweltphysik
UHD
User Help Desk
UMARF
Unified Meteorological Archive & Retrieval Facility
UMRS
UMARF Requirements Specification
URD
User Requirement Document
USGS
United States Geological Survey
UTH
Upper Tropospheric Humidity
UV
Ultra Violet
V
VIRGO
Variability of solar Irradiance and Gravity Oscillations
VIS
Visible
W
WHP
SAC WOCE Hydrographic Programme Special Analysis Center (Hamburg)
WindSat
Satellite Based Wind Speed and Direction System
WMO
World Meteorological Organization
WP
Work Package in the CM SAF
WWW
World Wide Web