| Acronym |
Full name |
Comments |
| P/B |
priority playback |
| P/L-EX |
Payload Executive |
| PA |
position angle |
| PA |
payload accommodations |
| PA/CCC |
Payload Accommodations/Carrier Control Center |
| PAC |
Polar Atmospheric Chemistry |
| PACDEX |
PACific Dust EXperiment |
| PACE |
Precipitation Augmentation for Crops Experiment
| former name of TEXMEX, q.v. |
| PACEM |
Physics and Chemistry of Earth Materials |
| PACJET |
Pacific Land-falling Jets Experiment |
| PACLAT |
Pacific Latitudinal Distribution of Photochemical
Trace Species |
| PACS |
Pan-American Climate Studies |
| PACT |
Professional Association of Computing and Technology
| |
| PACX |
Private Automatic Computer Exchange
| NCAR's port selection device that automatically
assigns users to an available port on the NCAR computer of their choice
|
| PAGE |
Program for the Advancement of Geoscience Education
|
| PAGES |
Past Global Changes
| IGBP |
| PAIR |
Particulate Airborne Inlet Research |
| PAKIT |
Photochemistry and Kinetics of Important Trace
gases
| AKP |
| PALE |
Paleoclimates from Arctic Lakes and Estuaries |
| PAM |
portable automated mesonet |
Mesoscale network |
| PAM-III |
Portable Automated Mesonet station |
| PAN |
peroxyacyl nitrates |
| PAN-CIMS |
PAN chemical ionization mass spectrometer |
| PAR |
Performance Assurance Requirements |
| PAR |
photosynthetically active radiation |
| PARS |
Paralleled-processing Applied Research Systems
|
| PAS |
Platform Analysis System |
| PASE |
Polar Air-Show Experiment |
| PASIN |
Particle-Matter Airborne Sampling Inlet Experiment
|
| PASJ |
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan
|
English language |
| PASSCAL |
Program for Array Seismic Studies of the Continental
Lithosphere |
| PAWS |
Psychological, Atmospheric, and Weather Sciences
|
| pB |
product of polarization and brightness |
| PBL |
planetary boundary layer |
| Pbyte |
petabyte (1015bytes)
|
| pc |
geomagnetic pulsations |
| pc |
continuous pulsations |
| PC |
personal computer |
| PCA |
physical configuration audit |
| PCAS |
Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer |
| PCAST |
President's Council of Advisers on Science and
Technology |
| PCC |
Profiler Control Center
| NOAA, FSL |
| PCDS |
Pilot Climate Data System
| now NCDS |
| PCM |
Parallel Climate Model |
| PCM |
pulse code modulation |
| PCM |
punched card machine |
| PCMDI |
Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison
|
| PCMS |
Process and Change Management System |
| PCNFS |
Personal Computer Network File System |
| PCO |
Polar Cap Observatory |
| PCRGA |
Precipitation Chemistry, Reactive Gases, and Aerosols
Section |
| PCWG |
Polar Climate Working Group |
| pd |
positive definite
| math |
| PDAM |
Point Data Access and Management |
| PDE |
partial differential equation |
| pdf |
probability density functions |
| PDL |
Program Design Language |
| PDM |
pulse duration modulation |
| PCO |
Polar Cap Observatory |
| PCRGA |
Precipitation Chemistry, Reactive Gases, and Aerosols
Section |
| pd |
positive definite |
in math |
| PDM
| pulse duration modulation |
| PDR
| Preliminary Design Review |
| PDS
| Planetary Data System |
| PDS
| Platform Data System |
| PDT
| Product Development Team |
| PDU
| Power Distribution Unit |
| PDU
| Protocol Data Unit |
| PDW
| preliminary design walk-through |
| PE
| primitive equation |
| PE
| payload executive |
| PEACE |
DOD atoll-drilling program for coral core sample
|
| PEATMOS |
Primitive Equation and Trojectory Model Output
Statistics
| in probability forecasting, A.H. Murphy |
| PEC |
Performance Management Committee |
| PECASE |
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists
and Engineers |
| PEL |
photo-electron layer |
| PELTI |
Passing Efficiency for the Low Turbulence Inlet
| |
| PEM |
Particle Environment Monitor
| NASA/UARS |
| PEM |
Pacific Exploratory Measurements |
| PEM |
Pacific Exploratory Mission |
| PEP |
photo-electron plasma |
| PEPPI |
Photometric Eclipse Polar Plume Imager |
| PERFMON |
Performance Monitor utility |
| Perl |
Practical Extraction and Report Language
| written with only initial cap |
| PERT |
Performance Evaluation and Review Technique |
| PETA |
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| PETS |
performance evaluation and test system |
| PF |
Performance Factor |
| PFA |
Prime Factor Algorithm |
| PFA |
Primary Flux Array |
| PFS |
Physical Facilities Service(s) |
| PFU |
Proto Flight Unit
| see PFM |
| PGGA |
Permanent GPS Geodetic Array |
| PGS |
Product |
| PHIGS |
Programmer's Hierarchical Interactive Graphics
System |
| PHIGS |
Portable Hierarchical Image and Graphic Standard
|
| PHOXA |
Photochemical Oxidant and Acid deposition model
application |
| PHS |
Public Health Service |
or USPHS, United States Public Health Service |
| PI |
principal investigator |
| pi |
irregular pulsations |
| PI/TL |
Principal Investigator/Team Leader |
| PIBALS |
Pilot Balloons |
visually tracked free-rising balloons used for
upper air measurements |
| PICF |
Principal Investigator Computing Facility |
| pick |
| to pierce, penetrate, or break up with a pointed
instrument. |
| PICS |
positive ion composition spectrometer |
TWERLE |
| PID |
Prototype International Directory |
| PIDC |
Precision Instrument Development Center |
Taiwan |
| PIFM |
practical improved flux method |
| PILPS |
Program for Intercomparison of Land Surface Parameterization
Schemes |
| Pin |
Power input |
| PIPOR |
Program for International Polar Ocean Research
|
| PIPOR |
Programme of International Polar Oceans Research
|
| PIRAC |
PC-based Integrated Radar Acquisition Card |
| PIRAQ-III |
PC-based Radar Acquisition Ð 3rd generation |
| PIREP |
Pilot Weather Report |
| PIREPS |
pilot reports |
| PIs |
Principal Investigators |
| PISP |
Polar Ice Sheet Program |
| PIXE |
Proton Induced X-ray Emission |
| P/L-EX |
Payload Executive |
| Planetary scale |
=A scale, =2,000 to 10,000 km
| GARP |
| PLDS |
Pilot Land Data System
| NASA |
| PM2.5 |
Particulate Matter with mass median aerodynamic
diameter less than 2.5 micrometers |
| PMA |
platform management application |
| PMB |
Performance Measurement Baseline |
| PMEL |
Pacific Marine Environment Laboratory
| NOAA |
| PMIP |
Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project |
| PMR |
Pressure Modulator Radiometer |
| PMR |
Pacific Missile Range |
| PMS |
Particle Measuring System |
| PMS |
Particle Measuring Systems, Inc.
| Boulder, Colorado |
| PMS |
Performance Measurement System |
| PMS |
Platform Management System |
| PNA |
Pacific/North American |
| PNR |
Profiler Network Review |
| Po |
power output |
| POAM |
Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement
| POAM II & III Missions, NRL |
| PoC |
Proof of Concept |
| POC |
project operations center |
| POCIBO |
Polar Circling Balloon Observatory |
NSF grant to University of Minnesota program for
IQSY-headed by J.R. Winckler |
| POCM |
parallel ocean climate model |
| POD |
probability of detection |
| POES |
Polar Operational Environmental Satellite |
United States |
| POGO |
Polar Orbiting Geophysical Observatory |
| POISE-98 |
POlarimetric Instrument for Solar Eclipse-98 |
| POLARIS |
Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region
in Summer |
NASA sponsored mission |
| POLEX |
Polar Experiment |
USSR/GARP, Arctic head budget experiment |
| POP |
Parallel Ocean Program |
|
| POP |
Photochemical Oxidation and Products |
NCAR/ACD group |
| PoP |
Probability of Precipitation |
(%) in forecasting |
| POSIX |
Portable Operating System Interface for Computer
Environments
| based on UNIX |
| pp |
parts per |
| ppb |
parts per billion |
| PCC |
Profiler Control Center
| Boulder, Colorado |
| pphm |
parts per hundred million |
| PPI |
plan-postition indicator |
| ppm |
parts per million |
| ppmv |
parts per million by volume |
| PPO |
Profiler Program Office
| Boulder, Colorado |
| PPP |
Point-to-Point Protocol |
| PPP |
Parallelizing PreProcessor |
| PPS |
Public Products Service
| NWS |
| PPS |
Physical Plant Services
| UCAR, NCAR, UOP |
| pps |
pulses per second |
| PPS-PODS |
Precise Position System- Precise Orbit Determination
System |
| pptv |
parts per trillion (by volume) |
| PPU |
Peripheral Processor Unit |
| PRAIRE |
Polarization Radar Illinois Rainfall Experiments
|
| PRC |
People's Republic of China |
| PRC, Inc. |
Planning Research Corporation
| AWIPS contractor |
| PRCM |
Paleoclimate Reconstructions of Climate Modeling
Observatory |
| PRAIRE |
Polarization Radar Illinois Rainfall Experiments
|
| PRC |
People's Republic of China |
Also Planning Research Corporation |
| PRECIP |
Processing of Emissions by Clouds and Precipitation
|
A "research focus" on precipitation. |
| Precipitable water |
| The total atmospheric water vapor contained in
a vertical column of unit cross-sectional area extending between any two
specified levels, commonly expressed in terms of the height to which that
water substance would stand if completely condensed and collected in a vessel
of the same unit cross section. |
| PRECP |
Program on Nonlinearity of Acid Precipitation Process
|
Also Processing of Emissions by Clouds and Precipitation
|
| PRE-STORM |
Preliminary Regional Experiment-STORM |
| Pre-AWIPS |
Preprototype AWIPS |
| PRE-STORM |
Preliminary Regional Experiment-STORM |
| PRECIP |
Processing of Emissions by Clouds and Precipitation
| A "research focus" on precipitation |
| PRECP |
Program on Nonlinearity of Acid Precipitation Process
|
| PRECP |
Processing of Emissions by Clouds and Precipitation
|
| PRF |
pulse repetition frequency |
example: the radar has a PRF of 200 pps |
| Primer 6600/7600 |
NCAR/TN-62+IA |
J.C. Adams, ATD, 1971, NTIS #PB93-157675 |
| PRIMO |
Problems Related to Ionospheric Modeling and Observations
Project |
| PRMS |
precipitation runoff modeling system |
| PROBE |
Portable Remote Observations of the Environment
|
| process |
| A progressive forward movement from one point to
another on the way to completion. |
| PROFS |
Program for Regional Observing and Forecasting
Services |
NOAA |
| Project LEARN |
Laboratory Experience in Atmospheric Research
| UCAR |
| PROM |
Programmable Read-Only Memory |
| PROPHET |
Program for Research on Oxidants: PHotochemistry,
Emissions and Transport
| |
| PRT |
Pulse Repetition Time
| radar |
| PRT |
Platinum Resistance Thermometer
| PAM |
| PRUDENCE |
Prediction of Regional Scenerios and Uncertainties
for Defining European Climate Change Risks and Effects |
| PSAC |
President's Science Advisory Committee |
| PSA |
Pressure Switch Assembly |
| PSA |
Problem Statement Analyzer |
| PSA |
Public Service Announcement (radio/TV term) |
| psc |
geomagnetic pulsation |
| PSC |
polar stratospheric cloud |
| PSC |
Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center |
| PSCN |
Program Support Computer Network |
| PSCNET |
Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center Network |
| PSE |
Polar Sunrise Experiment
| 1998 |
| pseudo front |
| A small-scale front, formed in association with
organized severe convective activity, between a mass of rain-cooled air
from the thunderstorm clouds and the warm surrounding air. |
| psi |
pounds per square inch |
| PSI |
plan shear indicator |
| psia |
pounds per square inch absolute |
| psid |
pounds per square inch differential |
| psig |
pounds per square inch gage |
| PSN |
Piano Spaziale Nazionale |
Italian National Space Plan |
| PSOS |
Profiler Surface Observing System |
| PSPT |
Precision Solar Photometric Telescope |
| PSU |
Pennsylvania State University |
| PUP |
principle user position workstation |
| PV |
potential vorticity |
| PVC |
polyvinyl chloride |
| PVC |
permanent virtual circuit |
| PWV |
precipitable water vapor |
| PYI |
Presidential Young Investigators |
