| Acronym | Meaning |
| RUCS | Rapid Update Cycle Surface |
| RUI | Research In Undergraduate Institutions |
| RV | Research Vessel |
| RW | Rain Showers |
| S&B | Salary And Benefits |
| S&R | Search And Rescue |
| S&R | Search And Rescue |
| S&T | Science And Technology |
| S-POL | S-band Dual Polarization Doppler Radar |
| S/N | Signal-to-noise Ratio |
| S/TM | Stratospheric/tropospheric Measurements |
| SABL | Scanning Aerosol Backscatter Lidar |
| SAC | Strategic Air Command |
| SAC | Science Advisory Committee |
| SAC-C | Argentina's Scientific Applications Satellite |
| SADCC | South African Development Coordination Conference |
| SAFARI | Southern African Fire-Atmospheric Research Initiative |
| SAFARI-2000 | The Southern African Regional Science Initiative |
| SAFE | A Proposed Australian Savanna Fire Experiment |
| SAGE | Stratospheric Aerosol And Gas Experiment |
| SAI | Sudden Auroral Intensity |
| SAIC | Science Applications International Corporation |
| SAM | Subsynoptic Advection Model |
| SAM | Sun-angle Magnetometer |
| SAM | Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement |
| SAM I | Sensing With Active Microwaves |
| SAMS | Stratospheric And Mesospheric Sounder |
| SAO | Surface Airways Observation |
| SAO | Semiannual Oscillation |
| SAR | Synthetic Aperture Radar |
| SAR | Subcommittee On Atmospheric Research |
| SAR-C | SAR-C Band |
| SAR-X | SAR-X Band |
| SARSAT | Search And Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking |
| SAS | Small Astronomy Satellite |
| SAS | Statistical Analysis System |
| SAV | State-of-the-atmosphere Variable |
| SAVE | Stratospheric Aerosol Validation Experiment |
| SAVE | South Atlantic Ventilation Experiment |
| SAWRS | Supplementary Aviation Weather Reporting System |
| SBF | Scientific Balloon Facility |
| SBIR | Small Business Innovative Research |
| SBUV | Solar Backscatter Ultrav Iolet |
| SC | Subtropical Stratocumulus |
| SCAMS | Scanning Microwave Spectrometer |
| SCAR | Scientific Committee For Antarctic Research |
| SCAR | Special Committee For Antarctic Research |
| SCARAB | Scanner For Radiation Budget |
| SCATE | Sulfur Chemistry In The Antarctic Troposphere Experiment |
| SCATT | Scatterometer |