H
Selected Acronyms and Abbreviations
For the reader’s convenience, following is an alphabetical list of selected acronyms and abbreviations used in this handbook.
AGN | active galactic nuclei |
ALMA | Atacama Large Millimeter Array |
AMSU | Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit |
AMT | aeronautical mobile telemetry |
ATMS | Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder |
BAO | baryonic acoustic oscillation |
CCIR | International Radio Consultative Committee (antecedent of the ITU-R) |
CIWP | cloud ice water path |
CMB | cosmic microwave background radiation |
COBE | Cosmic Background Explorer |
CORF | Committee on Radio Frequencies |
COSPAR | Committee on Space Research |
CSIRO | Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
CyGNSS | Cyclone GNSS |
DMSP | Defense Meteorological Satellite Program |
DOD | Department of Defense |
EESS | Earth Exploration-Satellite Service |
EoR | Epoch of Reionization |
EOS | Earth Observing System |
ERS | Earth Remote Sensing Satellite |
ESA | European Space Agency |
FARS | Frequency Allocations in Remote Sensing |
FCC | Federal Communications Commission |
FS | Fixed Service (point-to-point transmissions, such as radio relay towers) |
GBT | Green Bank Telescope |
GEO | geostationary orbit (satellite) |
GEOSS | Global Earth Observation System of Systems |
GLONASS | Global Navigation Satellite System |
GMI | GPM Microwave Imager |
GNSS | Global Navigation Satellite System |
GOES | Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites |
GPM | Global Precipitation Mission |
GPS | Global Positioning System |
GSO | geostationary orbit |
GWR | gravitational wave radiation |
IAU | International Astronomical Union |
ICSU | International Council of Scientific Unions |
IGS | International Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) |
InSAR | interferometric synthetic aperture radar |
IRAC | Inter-department Radio Advisory Committee |
ISM | industrial, scientific, and medical (bands in which radio-frequency-noisy systems can be operated) |
ITAC | International Telecommunication Advisory Committee |
ITU | International Telecommunication Union |
ITU-R | ITU Radiocommunication Sector |
IUCAF | Scientific Committee on Frequency Allocations for Radio Astronomy and Space Science |
JPSS | Joint Polar Satellite System |
LEO | low Earth orbit |
LWA | Long Wavelength Array |
MetAids | Meteorological Aids Service (radiosondes, etc.) |
MetSat | Meteorological Satellite Service |
MF | medium frequency |
MLS | Microwave Limb Sounder |
MLT | Mesosphere/Lower Thermosphere |
MR | meteor radar |
MS | Mobile Service |
MSU | Microwave Sounding Unit |
NAIC | National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center |
NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
NRAO | National Radio Astronomy Observatory |
NSF | National Science Foundation |
NTIA | National Telecommunications and Information Administration |
OH | hydroxyl |
OOBE | out-of-band emissions |
OSTM | Ocean Surface Topography Mission |
pfd | power flux density (usually measured in W m–2) |
RAS | Radio Astronomy Service |
RF | radio frequency |
RFI | radio frequency interference |
RLS | Radiolocation Service (radars) |
RSS | radio star scintillation |
SAR | synthetic aperture radar |
SED | spectral energy distribution |
SETI | search for extraterrestrial intelligence |
SG | study group |
SM | soil moisture |
SMAP | Soil Moisture Active/Passive |
SMBH | supermassive black hole |
SMOS | Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity |
SOS | Space Operations Service |
spfd | spectral power flux density (measured in W m–2 Hz–1) |
SRS | Space Research Service |
SRT | Small Radio Telescope |
SRTM | Shuttle Radar Topographic Mapper |
SSM/I | Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) |
SSM/T | Special Sensor Microwave/Temperature (of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) |
SZ | Sunyaev-Zel’dovich |
TDRSS | Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System |
TEC | total electron content |
TPW | total precipitable water |
TRMM | Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission |
UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |
URSI | International Union of Radio Science |
VLA | Very Large Array |
VLBA | Very Long Baseline Array |
VLBI | very long baseline interferometry |
WARC | World Administrative Radio Conference (antecedent of WRC) |
WMAP | Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe |
WRC | World Radiocommunication Conference |
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