Acronyms and Terms - The Effects of Solar Variability on Earth's Climate - page 55

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Acronyms and Terms

ACR Anomalous Cosmic Ray

ACRIM Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor

AMO Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation

AU Astronomical unit

CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research

CME Coronal mass ejection

cosmic ray Highly energetic atomic nucleus that travels through space at nearly

the speed of light

Dalton minima A period of low solar activity lasting from 1790 to 1830 and named

after John Dalton

ENSO El Niño-Southern Oscillation

EPP Energizing precipitating particle

ESA European Space Agency

Forcing An externally imposed perturbation in the radiative energy budget of

Earth's climate system. Also called radiative forcing.

GCM Global climate model

GCR Galactic cosmic ray

Hadley cell Atmospheric circulation with rising motion near the equator, poleward

flow, and sinking motion in the subtropics

IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

ISCCP International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project

ITCZ Intertropical convergence zone

Little Ice Age A cooling period from 1550 to 1850

Maunder Minimum A period of low solar activity lasting from 1645 to 1715 and named

after Edward W. Maunder

Milankovitch cycle Long-term changes in Earth's orbit that in turn affect its climate over

long periods of time

NAO North Atlantic Oscillation

Photosphere Visible surface of the Sun

PMC Polar mesospheric cloud