Climate Change terms starting with B

38 terms

backscatter depolarization ratio The ratio of cross polarized to co-polarized elastic backscatter.
backscattered radiation The scattering of radiant energy into the hemisphere of space bounded by a plane normal to the direction of the incident radiation and lying on the same…
Bacteria (bak-TEER-ee-uh) A large group of single-cell microorganisms. Some cause infections and disease in animals and humans.
Barograph A barometer that records its observations continuously.
Barometer An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.
Barometric Pressure The pressure of the atmosphere as indicated by a barometer.
Barrel A volumetric unit of measure for crude oil and petroleum products equivalent to 42 U.S. gallons.
Baseline Change Request (BCR) A web-based tool that is used to discuss, review, and approve an "engineered product" or other changes to infrastructure components as it is turned over…
Baseline Emissions The emissions that would occur without policy intervention (in a business-as-usual scenario).
Basic solution Water solution with more hydroxide ions (OH-) than hydrogen ions (H+); water solutions with pH greater than 7. See acid solution, alkalinity.
Beaufort Scale The Beaufort wind scale is a system used to estimate and report wind speeds when no measuring apparatus is available.
benthic foraminifera single-celled animals that live near the sediment water interface and have calcium carbonate skeletons.
Berlin Mandate A ruling negotiated at the first Conference of the Parties (COP 1), which took place in March, 1995, concluding that the present commitments under the…
Biodegradable Capable of being biodegraded.
Biofuel A gaseous, liquid or solid fuel derived from a biological source, e.g. ethanol, rapeseed oil or fish liver oil.
Biogeochemical Cycle Movements through the Earth system of key chemical constituents essential to life, such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus.
Biological oxygen demand (Abbreviation: BOD). The dissolved oxygen required for the respiration of a population of aerobic organisms present in water.
Biomass The aggregate amount of living matter or a specific species within a specific habitat, or the total number of a specific species in a specific habitat.
Biomass energy Energy produced by the conversion of biomass directly to heat or to a liquid or gas that can be converted to energy.
Biosphere The part of the earth and its atmosphere that is inhabited by living organisms.
Biotic Pertaining to life or living organisms.
bipolar see-saw the occurrence of warm temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere while temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere are colder-than-average, or vice versa.
Bitumen Gooey, black, high-sulfur, heavy oil extracted from tar sand and then upgraded to synthetic fuel oil. See tar sand.
Bituminous coal A dense, black, soft coal, often with well-defined bands of bright and dull material.
Black Body A hypothetical object that absorbs all of the radiation that strikes it; also emits radiation at a maximum rate for its given temperature.
Black Carbon Operationally defined species based on measurement of light absorption and chemical reactivity and/or thermal stability; consists of soot, charcoal…
black carbon concentration The concentration of carbon in its very absorbing, elemental, non-organic, non-oxide form (e.g. graphite).
Blizzard (abbrev. BLZD)- A blizzard means that the following conditions are expected to prevail for a period of 3 hours or longer: Sustained wind or frequent gusts…
BOD5 The amount of dissolved oxygen consumed in five days by biological processes breaking down organic matter. See biochemical oxygen demand.
Boreal Living in and adapted for living in the extreme northern areas of the world. This area is located just below tundra conditions.
Borehole Any exploratory hole drilled into the Earth or ice to gather geophysical data. Climate researchers often take ice core samples, a type of borehole, to…
Boundary Layer In general, a layer of air adjacent to a bounding surface. Specifically, the term most often refers to the planetary boundary layer, which is the layer…
Bowen Ratio For any moist surface, the ratio of heat energy used for sensible heating (conduction and convection) to the heat energy used for latent heating…
Boyle's law When the temperature is held constant, the pressure and density of an ideal gas are directly proportional.
British thermal unit The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree of Fahrenheit at or near 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bunker fuel Fuel supplied to ships and aircraft for international transportation, irrespective of the flag of the carrier, consisting primarily of residual and…
Buoy weather station Buoy weather station A buoy, either fixed or floating, which carries instruments for sensing various meteorological elements and for transmitting the data…
Bus A parallel circuit that connects the major components of a computer, allowing the transfer of electric impulses from one connected component to any other.