Bt cornA corn plant that has been developed though biotechnology so that the plant tissues express a protein derived from a bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis…
bubble column fermenterA bioreactor in which the cells or micro-organisms are kept suspended in a tall cylinder by rising air, which is introduced at the base of the vessel.
Bubble HighA mesoscale area of high pressure, typically associated with cooler air from the rainy downdraft area of a thunderstorm or a complex of thunderstorms.
Bubbler GageA water stage recording device that is capable of attaching to a LARC for data automation purposes.
bucketA part of an excavator which digs, lifts, and carries dirt.
budA region of meristematic tissue with the potential for developing into leaves, shoots, flowers or combinations of these; generally protected by modified…
bud sportA somatic mutation arising in a bud, generating a genetically different shoot. Includes changes due to gene mutation, chromosomal mutation or polyploidy.
budding1. A method of asexual reproduction in which a new individual is derived from an outgrowth (bud) that becomes detached from the body of the parent. 2.
Budget Review Committee (BRC)An ad hoc committee of representatives from each Region, the Reclamation Service Center, and the Washington Office, coordinates Reclamation budget…
Buffer ZoneA strip of land created to separate and protect one type of land use from another; for example, as a screen of planting or fencing to insulate the…
BUFKITA software tool used by forecasters to examine the vertical profile and other aspects of the atmosphere.
Build outThe estimated extent of residential, commercial, and industrial development in a given geographic area; usually related to the upper limit of the…
Build-out capacityThe maximum total percentage of development in a watershed; typically determined assuming current zoning holds indefinitely into the future.
Building Overall Heat Loss RateThe overall rate of heat loss from a building by means of transmission plus infiltration, expressed in Btu per hour, per degree temperature difference…
Built EnvironmentThe urban environment consisting of buildings, roads, fixtures, parks, and all other improvements that form the physical character of a city.
BulbThe transparent or opaque sphere in an electric light that the electric light transmits through.
Bulb TurbineA type of hydro turbine in which the entire generator is mounted inside the water passageway as an integral unit with the turbine.
Bulk DensityThe weight of a material per unit of volume compared to the weight of the same volume of water.
Bulk Richardson NumberA non-dimensional (i.e., no units) number relating vertical stability to vertical shear (generally, stability divided by shear).
bulked segregant analysisA method to obtain markers linked to a target trait, in which DNA samples, prepared from a number of individuals of each of two contrasting phenotypes…
BulkheadThe part of a storefront that forms a base for one or more display windows
Bulkhead GateA gate used either for temporary closure of a channel or conduit before dewatering it for inspection or maintenance or for closure against flowing water…
BulkingThe increase in volume of a material due to manipulation. Rock bulks upon being excavated; damp sand bulks if loosely deposited, as by dumping, because…
BunchgrassA grass having a bunched growth form and lacking rhizomes.
Bunker fuelFuel supplied to ships and aircraft for international transportation, irrespective of the flag of the carrier, consisting primarily of residual and…
Buoy weather stationBuoy weather station A buoy, either fixed or floating, which carries instruments for sensing various meteorological elements and for transmitting the data…
BuoyancyThe tendency of a body to float or to rise when submerged in a fluid; the power of a fluid to exert an upward force on a body placed in it.
buoyant densityThe intrinsic density which a molecule, virus or sub-cellular particle has when suspended in an aqueous solution of a salt, such as CsCl, or a sugar, such…
BurdenIn blasting, the distance between the free face and the first row of holes or the distance between rows of holes parallel to the face.
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)The Bureau of Indian Affairs' mission is to enhance the quality of life, to promote economic opportunity, and to carry out the responsibility to protect…
Bureau of Land ManagementAn agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior that is responsible for managing public lands.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)The Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, administers 264 million acres of America's public lands, located…
Bureau of Reclamation (USBR, Reclamation, BOR)The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound…
Burner CapacityThe maximum heat output (in Btu per hour) released by a burner with a stable flame and satisfactory combustion.
Burning PointThe temperature at which a material ignites.
BurrowA hole made by an animal, usually for shelter or to move through by digging.
BurstIn solar-terrestrial terms, a transient enhancement of the solar radio emission, usually associated with an active region or flare.
BusA parallel circuit that connects the major components of a computer, allowing the transfer of electric impulses from one connected component to any other.
Bus (buswork)A conductor, or group of conductors, that serve as a common connection for two or more electrical circuits.
Bus (electrical)An electrical conductor that serves as a common connection for two or more electrical circuits; may be in the form of rigid bars or stranded conductors or…
BusbarThe power conduit of an electric power plant; the starting point of the electric transmission system.
Busbar CostThe cost of producing electricity up to the point of the power plant busbar.
BustTo get a total greater than 21. Automatically a loss.
ButaneA gas derived from natural gas. Used as a component of gasoline. Used in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for domestic and industrial applications.
Butanol or butyl alcoholAn alcohol with the chemical formula CH3(CH2)3OH. It is formed during anaerobic fermentation using bacteria to convert the sugars to butanol and carbon…
Butt logThe log taken from the base of a tree; often slightly irregular.
Butterfly valveA valve designed for quick closure that consists of a circular leaf, slightly convex in form, mounted on a transverse shaft carried by two bearings.
Buttress DamA dam consisting of a watertight upstream part (such as a concrete sloping slab) supported at intervals on the downstream side by a series of buttresses…
BWERAbbreviation for Bounded Weak Echo Region; a radar signature within a thunderstorm characterized by a local minimum in radar reflectivity at low levels…
by-productMaterial, other than the principal product, generated as a consequence of an industrial process or as a breakdown product in a living system.