|
Albedo
|
|
Planetary albedo
|
|
Solar declination
|
13C
|
Delta value for the relative abundance of 13C in a sample
|
18O
|
Delta value for the relative abundance of 18O in a sample
|
|
Radiative forcing at the
tropopause
|
|
Emissivity of an object
|
|
Obliquity
|
|
Latitude (on Earth)
|
|
Density
|
|
Solar zenith distance
|
|
Longitude (on Earth)
|
|
Feedback parameter
|
|
True longitude
|
|
Sea-surface elevation
|
|
Stefan-Boltzman constant (= 5.67 10-8 W m-2 K-4)
|
|
Infrared transmissivity of the atmosphere
|
|
Longitude of the perihelion measured from the
vernal equinox
|
|
Angular velocity vector of the Earth
|
|
|
AABW
|
Antarctic Bottom Water
|
AAIW
|
Antarctic Intermediate Water
|
ACC
|
Antarctic Circumpolar Current
|
AD
|
Anno Domini, yr AD is the number of years since the beginning of the Christian (or Common) era
|
AGCM
|
Atmospheric General Circulation Model
|
|
Alkalinity
|
AOGCM
|
Atmosphere Ocean General Circulation Model
|
BC
|
Before Christ, yr BC is the number of years before 1AD
|
BP
|
Before Present, i.e. before 1950 AD
|
C
|
Condensation
|
CDW
|
Circumpolar Deep Water
|
CGCM
|
Coupled General Circulation Model
|
|
Specific heat (J kg-1 K-1)
|
CRF
|
Cloud Radiative Forcing
|
DGVM
|
Dynamic Global Vegetation Model
|
DIC
|
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
|
DJF
|
December, January and February
|
E
|
Evaporation
|
EBM
|
Energy Balance Model
|
ecc
|
Eccentricity
|
EMIC
|
Earth Model of Intermediate Complexity
|
ENSO
|
El Niño Southern Oscillation
|
|
Saturation vapour pressure (Pa)
|
|
Feedback factor
|
Ffric
|
Force due to friction
|
|
Downward longwave radiation at the surface (W m-2)
|
|
Upward longwave radiation at the surface (W m-2)
|
FLH
|
Latent heat flux at the surface (W m-2)
|
FSH
|
Sensible heat flux at the surface (W m-2)
|
FSOL
|
Incoming solar radiation at the surface (W m-2)
|
g
|
Acceleration due to gravity at the Earth's surface (= 9.8
m s-2)
|
GCM
|
General Circulation Model
|
GtC
|
Gigaton of carbon (1015 grams of carbon)
|
HA
|
Hour Angle
|
IPCC
|
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (http://www.ipcc.ch/)
|
ITCZ
|
Intertropical Convergence Zone
|
J
|
Joule
|
JJA
|
June, July and August
|
K
|
Kelvin
|
ka
|
1000 years
|
KH
|
Solubility (of CO2)
|
kyr
|
1000 years
|
Lf
|
Latent heat of fusion of water (= 334
kJ kg-1 at 0oC)
|
LGM
|
Last Glacial Maximum (around 21 kyr BP)
|
Lv
|
Latent heat of vaporisation of water (= 2250
kJ kg-1 at 100oC, 2500
kJ kg-1 at 0oC)
|
m
|
Metre
|
NADW
|
North Atlantic Deep Water
|
NAM
|
Northern Annular Mode
|
NAO
|
North Atlantic Oscillation
|
nm
|
Nanometre (10-9 m)
|
NPP
|
Net Primary Production
|
OGCM
|
Ocean General Circulation Model
|
p
|
Pressure (Pa)
|
ps
|
Surface pressure (Pa)
|
P
|
Precipitation
|
Pa
|
Pascal
|
PDE
|
Partial Differential Equations
|
PERH
|
Longitude of the perihelion measured
from the autumn equinox
|
PETM
|
Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum
|
PFT
|
Plant Functional Type
|
PgC
|
Petagrams of carbon (1015 grams of carbon)
|
ppb
|
Parts per billion
|
ppm
|
Parts per million
|
psu
|
Practical salinity unit
|
PW
|
1015 W
|
q
|
Specific humidity (kg/kg)
|
R
|
Earth's radius (= 6371 km)
|
Rg
|
Perfect gas constant
|
RFTOA
|
Net radiative flux at the top of the atmosphere (W m-2)
|
RH
|
Relative Humidity
|
rm
|
Mean distance between the Earth and the Sun
|
RMS
|
Root Mean Square
|
Rriv
|
River runoff
|
Rv
|
Gas constant for water vapour (= 461.39
J kg-1 K-1)
|
S
|
Ocean salinity
|
S0
|
Solar constant (~ 1368 W m-2)
|
SAM
|
Southern Annular Mode
|
SLP
|
Sea Level Pressure
|
SOI
|
Southern Oscillation Index
|
SST
|
Sea Surface Temperature
|
Sv
|
Sverdrup (= 106
m3 s-1)
|
TCR
|
Transient Climate Response
|
Te
|
Effective emission temperature of the Earth
|
Ts
|
Surface temperature
|
|
Velocity vector
|
W
|
Watt
|
WMO
|
World Meteorological Organisation
|
yr
|
Year
|
z
|
Altitude depth, measured from the bottom upwards
|