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This document provides an introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling. It includes definitions of common climate-related symbols and acronyms along with short descriptions of their meanings.

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meteo15156
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17 views3 pages

Symbol

This document provides an introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling. It includes definitions of common climate-related symbols and acronyms along with short descriptions of their meanings.

Uploaded by

meteo15156
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling - http://www.climate.

be/textbook

Symbols and acronyms


α Albedo
αp Planetary albedo
δ Solar declination
δ13C Delta value for the relative abundance of 13C in a sample
δ18O Delta value for the relative abundance of 18O in a sample
ΔQ Radiative forcing at the tropopause
ε Emissivity of an object
εobl Obliquity
φ Latitude (on Earth)
Ρ Density
θs Solar zenith distance
λ Longitude (on Earth)
λf Feedback parameter
λt True longitude
η Sea-surface elevation
σ Stefan-Boltzman constant (= 5.67 10-8 W m-2 K-4)
τa Infrared transmissivity of the atmosphere
ω
JG Longitude of the perihelion measured from the vernal equinox
Ω 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
Alk 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
CCD Calcite Compensation Depth
CDW Circumpolar Deep Water
CGCM Coupled General Circulation Model
cp Specific heat (J K-1 kg-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
es Saturation vapour pressure (Pa)
ff Feedback factor

169
Goosse H., P.Y. Barriat, W. Lefebvre, M.F. Loutre and V. Zunz (2009)

Ffric Force due to friction


FIR↓ Downward longwave radiation at the surface (W m-2)
FIR↑ 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 Models
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 0°C)
LGM Last Glacial Maximum (around 21 kyr BP)
Lv Latent heat of vaporisation of water (= 2250 kJ kg-1 at 100°C, 2500 kJ kg-1 at
0°C)
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 Equation
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
170
Symbols and acronyms

Rv Gas constant for water vapour (= 461.39 J Kg-1 K-1)


Rriv River runoff
S Ocean salinity
S0 Solar constant (~ 1368 W m-2)
SAM Southern Annular Mode
SOI Southern Oscillation Index
Sv Sverdrup (= 106 m3 s-1)
TCR Transient climate response
Te Effective emission temperature of the Earth
Ts Surface temperature
G
v Velocity vector
W Watt
WMO World Meteorological Organisation
yr Year
z Altitude or depth, measured from the bottom upwards

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