Science terms starting with L

480 terms

  1. Lithium-Sulfur Battery A battery that uses lithium in the negative electrode and a metal sulfide in the positive electrode, and the electrolyte is molten salt; can store large…
  2. Lithometeor Atmospheric phenomena which affect the state of the atmosphere. They constitute dry particles that hang suspended in the atmosphere, such as dust, smoke…
  3. Lithosphere That part of the earth which is composed predominantly of rocks (either coherent or incoherent, and including the disintegrated rock materials known as…
  4. litmus paper A pH indicator paper. It turns red in acidic and blue in alkaline solutions.
  5. Litter Undecomposed plant residues on the soil surface. See decomposition.
  6. Littoral Pertaining to the shore.
  7. Littoral Zone The zone or strip of land along the shoreline between the high and low water marks.
  8. Live bottom A material storage bin or truck with a floor which incorporates a device for removing or unloading the material contained in the bin.
  9. Live Capacity The total amount of storage capacity available in a reservoir for all purposes, from the dead storage level to the normal water or normal pool level…
  10. Live capacity (live storage) That part of the total reservoir capacity which can be withdrawn by gravity. This capacity is equal to the total capacity less the dead capacity.
  11. live recombinant vaccine A vaccine created by the expression of a pathogen antigen in a non-pathogenic organism.
  12. Live Steam Steam available directly from a boiler under full pressure.
  13. live vaccine A living, non-virulent form of a pathogenic micro-organism or virus used to elicit an antibody response for the protection against infection by a virulent…
  14. Livestock guzzler A watering system for cattle and other livestock that maintains a set water level as water is used.
  15. Livestock watering area Water used for livestock watering, feed lots, dairy operations, fish farming, and other on-farm needs.
  16. living modified organism (Abbreviation: LMO). "Living organism that possess a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology " (Convention…
  17. LIVV Lifted Index Vertical Velocity
  18. LKLY Likely- In probability of precipitation statements, the equivalent of a 60 or 70 percent chance.
  19. LLJ Low Level Jet - A region of relatively strong winds in the lower part of the atmosphere.
  20. LLWS Low Level Wind Shear
  21. LMO Abbreviation for living modified organism
  22. LMTD limited
  23. LN Line
  24. Load Commissions charged on the purchase or sale of mutual fund units.
  25. Load Analysis Assessing and quantifying the discrete components that comprise a load. This analysis often includes time of day or season as a variable.
  26. Load control The process of managing demand requirements in order to achieve a desired load pattern.
  27. Load Duration Curve A curve that displays load values on the horizontal axis in descending order of magnitude against the percent of time (on the vertical axis) that the load…
  28. Load factor The ratio of average energy demand (load) to maximum demand (peak load) during a specific period.
  29. Load following The generating capacity having fast response time to varying loads over a wide range of unit loading by automatic generation control (AGC) from load…
  30. Load Forecast An estimate of power demand at some future period.
  31. Load Leveling The deferment of certain loads to limit electrical power demand, or the production of energy during off-peak periods for storage and use during peak…
  32. Load Management To influence the demand on a power source.
  33. Load pocket An area often dependent on transmission for reliable electric system operation because the area’s load often exceeds the generation in the area.
  34. Load Profile or Shape A curve on a chart showing power (kW) supplied (on the horizontal axis) plotted against time of occurrence (on the vertical axis) to illustrate the…
  35. Load Shedding Turning off or disconnecting loads to limit peak demand.
  36. Load Shifting A load management objective that moves loads from on-peak periods to off-peak periods.
  37. Load-serving entity (LSE) Any entity, including a load aggregator or power marketer, that serves end-users within a control area and has been granted the authority or has an…
  38. Loaded Gun (Sounding) [Slang], a sounding characterized by extreme instability but containing a cap, such that explosive thunderstorm development can be expected if the cap can…
  39. Loam A soil consisting of an easily crumbled mixture of clay, silt, and sand.
  40. Local capabilities assessment Evaluation and report performed by members of the Early Warning System design team and/or community planners to assess the warning and evacuation…
  41. Local Convective Wind In fire weather terminology, local thermally driven winds arising over a comparatively small area and influenced by local terrain.
  42. Local distribution company (LDC) Any firm, other than a natural gas pipeline, engaged in the transportation or local distribution of natural gas and its sale to customers that will…
  43. Local emergency operations plan (LEOP) A general planning document, required by law, that describes the responsibilities and actions to be performed in the event of an emergency and/or disaster…
  44. Local emergency planning committee (LEPC) A committee made up of local officials, citizens, and industry representatives charged with development and maintenance of emergency response plans for…
  45. Local Flood Warning System (LWFS) A general designator for a network of stream and rain gages implemented by a community or local government to monitor hydrologic events as they occur.
  46. Local Flooding Flooding conditions over a relatively limited (localized) area.
  47. Local Government A legally-established unit of government at a level below state or territory government, including but not limited to, county, city, town, or village.
  48. Local Group A small cluster of more than 30 galaxies "near" to our galaxy, including the Andromeda galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds.
  49. Local officials/authorities The personnel authorized by election or job title to carry out the operation, planning, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery functions of the…
  50. Local organization The local government agency or office having the principal or lead role in emergency planning and preparedness.
  51. Local runoff Water running off a local area, such as rainfall draining into a nearby creek.
  52. Local Solar Time A system of astronomical time in which the sun crosses the true north-south meridian at 12 noon, and which differs from local time according to longitude…
  53. Localize Determination of the original position (locus) of a gene or other marker on a chromosome.
  54. Locatable Minerals Minerals or materials subject to disposal and development through the Mining Law of 1872 (as amended).
  55. Location Efficient Mortgage A lending program that allows homebuyers to borrow more money based on the transportation cost savings of living near mass transit.
  56. Locational installed capacity Installed capacity in a specific location (e.g., New York City), rather than in a broader area (e.g., anywhere in New York State).
  57. Locational marginal price The market-clearing price for electricity at the location the energy is delivered or received.
  58. Lockout Lockout means a labor dispute involving a work stoppage, wherein an employer withholds work from its employees in order to gain a concession from them.
  59. Lockout device A device that utilizes a positive means such as a lock, either key or combination type, to hold an energy isolating device in the safe position and…
  60. locus (LOH-kuss) Specific place where something is located or occurs. It may refer to a specific place on the body (such as an acupuncture point) or the place…
  61. Locus (pl. loci) The position on a chromosome of a gene or other chromosome marker; also, the DNA at that position.
  62. Locus (plural = loci) A specific location or site on a chromosome.
  63. LOD score The logarithm of the odds of linkage between two loci. Used to measure the statistical support for linkage.
  64. LODE A mineralized ledge, vein or mineral deposit in place.
  65. Lode mining claim A claim based on the presumption that the valuable mineral is a part of a bed-rock lode, vein, stockwork, stratum, or intrusion and is not dominantly a…
  66. Loess A group of windblown soils, largely comprising silt, weakly cemented by calcite.
  67. Loessial Medium-textured materials (usually silt or very fine sand) transported and deposited by wind action.
  68. Lofting A pattern of plume dispersion in a stable boundary layer topped by a neutral layer, in which the upper part of the plume disperses upward while the lower…
  69. Log and Safety Boom A net-like device installed in a reservoir, upstream of the principal spillway, to prevent logs, debris and boaters from entering a water discharge…
  70. Log boom A floating structure used to protect the face of a dam by deflecting floating material and waves away from the dam.
  71. Log choker A length of cable or chain that is wrapped around a log or harvested tree to secure the log to the winch cable of a skidder or to an overhead cable…
  72. Log Law In reference to a wind energy conversion system, the wind speed profile in which wind speeds increase with the logarithmic of the height of the wind…
  73. Log phase See Logarithmic phase.
  74. logarithmic phase The growth phase in cell culture, during which cell number doubles every 20-30 minutes. Synonym: exponential phase.
  75. Logarithmic phase (log or exponential growth phase) The steepest slope of the growth curve--the phase of vigorous growth during which cell number doubles every 20-30 minutes. (See Growth phase.)
  76. Logbook (operating log) A dated, written record of performed operation and maintenance items or observations pertinent to a structure.
  77. Logging residues The unused portion of wood and bark left on the ground after harvesting merchantable wood.
  78. long A term signifying ownership of securities. "I am long 100 XYZ," means that the speaker owns 100 shares of XYZ.
  79. long interspersed nuclear element (Abbreviation: LINE). Families of common DNA elements, of average length 6.5 kb, which are dispersed at numerous locations within the genome.
  80. long template A DNA strand, synthesized during PCR, which has a primer sequence at one end but is extended beyond the site that is complementary to the second primer at…
  81. Long Term Retention Retention of data for 5 years to satisfy requirements for local studies and to support litigation.
  82. Long Term Storage Dams Reservoirs used for recreational use or storage of irrigation, municipal or industrial water.
  83. long terminal repeat (Abbreviation: LTR). A characteristic sequence of nucleotides that occurs at each end of a retrovirus element that has become integrated into the host…
  84. Long Ton A unit that equals 20 long hundredweight or 2,240 pounds. Used mainly in England.
  85. long-day plant Plants requiring a period of short nights before the switch from vegetative to reproductive growth can be initiated. See: Short-day plant.
  86. Long-Range Restriction Mapping Restriction enzymes are proteins that cut DNA at precise locations. Restriction maps depict the chromosomal positions of restriction-enzyme cutting sites.
  87. Long-term productivity The capacity of a site to support forest ecosystems over generations of humans and trees as measured against some defined reference.
  88. Long-term self-renewal The ability of stem cells to renew themselves by dividing into the same non-specialized cell type over long periods (many months to years) depending on…
  89. Long-throated flumes Long-throated flumes control discharge rate in a throat that is long enough to cause nearly parallel flow lines in the region of flow control.
  90. Long-Wave Radiation Infrared or radiant heat.
  91. Longitude The location east or west in reference to the Prime Meridian, which is designated as zero (0) degrees longitude.
  92. Longitudinal Pertaining to or extending along the long axis, or length, of a structure. Lengthwise. See transverse.
  93. longwave net radiation The difference between upwelling and downwelling broadband longwave radiation.
  94. longwave radiance The rate at which light energy in the longwave portion of the spectrum is emitted in a particular direction per unit of projected surface area…
  95. Longwave Radiation A term used to describe the infrared energy emitted by the earth and atmosphere at wavelengths between about 5 and 25 micrometers.
  96. Longwave Trough A trough in the prevailing westerly flow aloft which is characterized by large length and (usually) long duration.
  97. loop bioreactor Fermenters in which material is cycled between a bulk tank and a smaller tank or loop of pipes.
  98. Loop flow Unintended or unscheduled flow of electricity through a line or system.
  99. Loop Prominence System (abbrev. LPS) In solar-terrestrial terms, a system of loop prominences associated with major flares.
  100. Looping A pattern of plume dispersion in an unstable atmosphere, in which the plume undergoes marked vertical oscillations as it is alternately affected by rising…