Magnetosphere, Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial
web page for the UK Sun-Planetary scientific community

MIST Acronyms

Please notify any corrections/ additions to the MIST webmaster A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ
AA: Auroral Absorption
ACE: Advanced Composition Explorer
ACF: Autocorrelation Function
ADAF: AGONet Data Analysis Facility
AE: Auroral Electrojet (auroral activity index)
AG: Annales Geophysicae
AGO: Automatic Geophysical Observatory
AGONet: Antarctic Geospace Observatory Network
AGU: American Geophysical Union
AGW: Atmospheric Gravity Wave
AIS: Advanced Ionospheric Sounder
AL: Auroral Lower (auroral activity index)
ALOMAR: Arctic Lidar Observatory for Middle Atmosphere Research
AMIE: Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics
AMPTE: Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers
Ap: (Planetary magnetic activity index)
AU: Astronomical Unit
AU: Auroral Upper (auroral activity index)
AVDAS: Advanced VLF Data Analysis System
AXO: Atmospheric X-ray Observatory
BAS: British Antarctic Survey
BGS: British Geological Survey
BNSC: British National Space Centre
BTW: By the way
CAMMICE: Charge and Mass Magnetospheric Ion Composition Experiment (on Polar)
CANOPUS: Canadian Auroral Network for the OPEN Program Unified Study
CAPS: Cassini Plasma Spectrometer
CCD: Charge-Coupled Device
CDAW: Coordinated Data Analysis Workshop
CDF: Common Data Format
CDHF: Co-ordinated Data Handling Facility
CEDAR: Coupling, Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions
CEPPAD: Comprehensive Energetic Particle and Pitch Angle Distribution Experiment (on Polar)
CIR: Co-rotating Interaction Region
CIS: Cluster Ion Spectrometry Experiment (Cluster)
CMAT: Coupled Middle Atmosphere and Thermosphere (model)
CME: Coronal Mass Ejection
CNA: Cosmic Noise Absorption
CNES: Centre Nationale des Etudes Spatiales (France)
Co-I: Co-Investigator
COSPAR: Commission on Space Research
CP: Common Programme (EISCAT, SuperDARN etc)
CRRES: Combined Release / Radiation Effects Satellite
CTIM: Coupled Thermosphere Ionosphere Magnetosphere (model)
CTIP: Coupled Thermosphere Ionosphere Plasmasphere (model)
CUTLASS: Collaborative UK Twin-Located Auroral Sounding System
DABS: Data Access and Browsing System
DASI: Digital All-Sky Imager
DAT: Digital Audio Tape
DE: Dynamics Explorer
DFT: Discrete Fourier Transform
DMSP: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
DSP: Digital Signal Processing
Dst: Disturbance storm time (geomagnetic index)
DWP: Digital Wave Processing Experiment (Cluster)
ECH: Electron Cyclotron Harmonic
ECPC: Expanding-Contracting Polar Cap
EFW: Electric Fields and Waves (Cluster)
EGS: European Geophysical Society
EGU: European Geophysical Union
EIS: EUV Imaging Spectrometer
EISCAT: European Incoherent Scatter Radar
ELF: Extremely Low Frequency
EMIC: Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves
ENA: Energetic Neutral Atom
EPC: EISCAT Project Committee
EPCI: Electron Pedersen Conductivity Instablity
ESA: European Space Agency
ESR: EISCAT Svalbard Radar
ESTEC: European Space Research and Technology Centre
ETAP: EISCAT Time Allocation Panel
EUV: Extreme UltraViolet
FAC: Field Aligned Current
FAQ: Frequently asked Questions
FAST: Fast Auroral SnapshoT explorer
FBI: Farley-Buneman Instability
FFT: Fast Fourier Transform
FGM: Fluxgate Magnetometer
FLR: Field Line Resonance
FOV: Field Of View
FPI: Fabry-Perot Interferometer
FTE: Flux Transfer Events
FTP: File Transfer Protocol
FWIW: For what it's worth
FYI: For Your Information
GCM: Global Circulation Model
GEM: Geospace Environment Modelling
GEOS: GEOstationary Satellite
GFM: Global Field Model
GGS: Global Geospace Study
GIC: Geomagnetically Induced Current
GIF: Graphics Interchange Format
GIME: Global Imaging of Magnetospheric Electrodynamics
GMT: Greenwich Mean Time (same as UT)
GOES: Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellite
GPS: Global Positioning System
GRL: Geophysical Research Letters
GSE: Geocentric Solar Earth (coordinates)
GSFC: Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA)
GSM: Geocentric Solar Magnetic (coordinates)
HCS: Heliospheric Current Sheet
HESSI: High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager
HF: High Frequency
HIREX: High-Resolution X-ray Explorer
HST: Hubble Space Telescope
HXT: Hard X-ray Telescope
IAGA: International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy
IBIZA/IMPACT: Investigation BIsatellitaire des Zones Aurorales/Investigation of Magnetospheric Particles Acceleration and Turbulence
IC: Imperial College
ICME: Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection
ICSU: International Council of Scientific Unions
IDF: Ion Distribution Function
IDI: Imaging Doppler Interferometer
IDL: Interactive Data Language
IGBP: International Geosphere Biosphere Programme
IGRF: International Geomagnetic Reference Field
IGY: International Geophysical Year
IHV: Inter-Hourly Variation
IHY: International Heliophysical Year
IKI: Inter-Kosmos Institute (Russian Space Research)
ILWS: International Living with a Star (program)
IMAGE: International Monitor for Auroral Geomagnetic Effects
IMAGE: Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration
IMF: Interplanetary Magnetic Field
IMHO: In my humble opinion
IMP: Interplanetary Magnetic Probe
INPE: Instituto de Pesquisas Espaciais (Brazil)
IPS: Interplanetary Scintillations
IPY: International Polar Year
IRI: International Reference Ionosphere
IRIS: Imaging Riometer for Ionospheric Studies
IRM: Ion Release Module (of AMPTE)
IS: Incoherent Scatter
ISAS: Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (Japan)
ISEE: International Sun-Earth Explorer
ISTP: International Solar Terrestrial Physics Programme
ITM: Ionosphere Thermosphere and Mesosphere
JAG: Joint Association of Geophysics
JATP: Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics
JGR: Journal of Geophysical Research
JGR: Journal of Geomagnetism and Geoelectricity
JIM: Jovian Ionospheric Model
KCL: Kings College, London
KHI: Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability
Kp: (Planetary magnetic activity index)
L: McIlwain's geomagnetic coordinate
LANL: Los Alamos National Laboratory
LASCO: Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (on SOHO)
LENA: Low Energy Neutral Atom (IMAGE)
LEO: Low Earth Orbit
LEP: Lightning-induced Electron Precipitation
LEPA: Low Energy Plasma Analyzer
LF: Low Frequency
LIE: Lightning-induced ionisation enhancement
LLBL: Low latitude boundary layer
LT: Local Time
LWPC: Long Wave Propagation Capability
LWS: Living with a Star
MACCS: Magnetometer Array for Cusp and Cleft Studies
MAGIC: Magnetometer Array on the Greenland Ice Cap
MAGPIES: MAGnetospheric Plasma Imaging Explorer Satellites
MALT: Mesosphere And Lower Thermosphere
MC: Magnetic Cloud
MF: Medium Frequency
MHD: Magneto-hydrodynamics
MIAOW: Mirrow and Slow Mode Waves
MICS: Magnetosphere Ionosphere Coupling Satellite
MIDAS: Multi-Instrument Data Analysis System
MIST: Magnetosphere Ionosphere and Solar Terrestrial (community in the UK)
MLAT: Magnetic Latitude
MLT: Magnetic Local Time
MPI: Max Planck Institute
MR: Magnetospherically Reflected
MSIS: Mass-Spectrometer-Incoherent-Scatter (neutral atmosphere model)
MSSL: Mullard Space Science Laboratory
NARMAX: Nonlinear AutoRegressive moving average model with eXogenous Inputs
NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NCAR: National Centre for Atmospheric Research
NENL: Near Earth Neutral Line
NERC: Natural Environment Research Council
NIPR: National Institute for Polar Research (Japan)
NLC: Noctilucent Cloud
NOAA: National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
NRC: National Research Council (USA)
NRF: Non-Radial Flow
NSF: National Science Foundation (USA)
NSSDC: National Space Science Data Centre (USA)
OCB: Open-Closed fieldline Boundary
OPP: Office of Polar Programs (USA)
OST: Office of Science and Technology
PACE: Polar Anglo-American Conjugate Experiment
Pc: Pulsation continuous
PC: Polar Cap (magnetic activity index)
PCA: Polar Cap Absorption
PCB: Polar Cap Boundary
PDF: Probability Distribution (or Density) Function
PEACE: Plasma Electron And Current Experiment (Cluster)
Pi: Pulsation irregular
PI: Principal Investigator
PIF: Pulsed Ionospheric Flow
PLHR: Power Line Harmonic Radiation
PMAF: Polward-moving auroral form
PMSE: Polar Mesospheric Summer Echo
PPARC: Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
PSBL: Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer
PSD: Power Spectral Density
PSMOS: Planetary Scale Mesopause Observing System
PSS: Planetary and Space Science
PUS: Public Understanding of Science
PWI: Plasma Wave Instrument
QBO: Quasi Biennial Oscillation
QDC: Quiet Day Curve
QJRAS: Quarterly Journal of the RAS
QP: Quasi-Periodic
RAL: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
RAPID: Research into Adaptive Particle Imaging Detectors (Cluster)
RAS: Royal Astronomical Society
RF: Radio Frequency
RFI: Radio Frequency Interference
RFI: Resonant Flux Instability
RMS: Root mean square
RS: Royal Society
RWD: Regular World Day
S/C: SpaceCraft
SABRE: Swedish and British Radar Experiment
SAGA: South Atlantic Geomagnetic Anomaly
SAMNET: Sub-Auroral Magnetometer Network
SAMPEX: Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer
SAPS: Sub-Auroral Polarization Stream
SAR: Subauroral Red
SAR: Synthetic Aperture Radar
SCAR: Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
SCE: Substorm Chorus Event
SCOSTEP: Scientific Committee on Solar Terrestrial Physics
SEEP: Stimulated Emission of Energetic Particles (satellite)
SEL: Space Environment Laboratory (USA)
SEP: Solar Energetic Particles
SESAME: Satellite Experiments Simultaneous with Antarctic Measurements
SGO: Sodankyla Geophysical Observatory
SHARE: Southern Hemisphere Auroral Radar Experiment
SID: Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance
SLAMS: Short large-amplitude waves
SNR: Signal to Noise Ratio
SOC: Self-Organised Criticality
SOHO: Solar Heliospheric Observatory
SPEAR: Space plasma exploration by active radar
SSC: Sudden Storm Commencement
SSC: Satellite Situation Centre
STAFF: Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Field Fluctuation (Cluster)
STARE: Scandinavian Twin Aurora Radar Experiment
STEP: Solar Terrestrial Energy Programme
STEREO: Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory
STP: Solar-Terrestrial Physics
SuperDARN: Super Dual Auroral Radar Network
SUPIM: Sheffield University Plasmasphere-Ionosphere (model)
SXT: Soft X-ray Telescope
TBD: To be decided
TCR: Travelling Compression Region
TCV: Travelling Convection Vortex
TEC: Total Electron Content
TID: Travelling Ionospheric Disturbance
TIMAS: Toroidal Imaging Mass-Angle Spectrograph
TIMED: Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics
TIROS: Television InfraRed Observation Satellite
TLA: Three letter acronym
TOI: Tongue of Ionisation
TRACE: Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (satellite)
TSS: Tethered Satellite System
UARS: Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
UCL: University College, London
UCLA: University of California, Los Angeles
UHF: Ultra High Frequency
UKEUG: UK EISCAT Users' Group
UKS: UK Satellite (of AMPTE)
UKSP: UK Solar Physics (community)
ULF: Ultra Low Frequency
UMLT: Upper Mesosphere Lower Thermosphere
UNIS: University Courses in Svalbard (Longyearbyen, Norway)
URSI: Union of Radio Science International
UT: Universal Time
UTC: Universal Time, Coordinated (nearly the same as UT)
UV: UltraViolet
UVI: Ultraviolet Imager
UWA: University of Wales, Aberystwyth
VELOX: VLF/ELF Logger Experiment
VERSIM: VLF/ELF Remote Sensing of the Ionosphere & Magnetosphere
VHF: Very High Frequency
VLF: Very Low Frequency
VO: Virtual Observatory
VSPO: Virtual Space Plasma Observatory
WCS: World class science
WDC: World Data Centre
WEC: Wave Experiment Consortium (Cluster)
WEP: Wave-induced Electron Precipitation
WFT: Windowed Fourier Transform
WHISPER: Waves of High frequency and Sounder for Probing of Electron density by Relaxation (Cluster)
WOT: Waste of time
WPI: Wave - Particle Interaction
WRT: With respect to
WWW: World Wide Web
WYSYWYG: What you see is what you get
YDAC: Yohkoh Data Archive Centre

Return to MIST home page