Science terms starting with W

301 terms

Wave wall. See parapet wall.
Wavelength The distance between one peak or crest of a wave (of light, heat, or other energy) and the next corresponding peak or crest.
WAVEWATCH III One of the operational forecast models run at NCEP. The WWIII is run four times daily, with forecast output out to 126 hours.
wax Water-insoluble esters of long-chain acids with long-chain alcohols. Waxes form protective waterproof layers on leaves, stems, fruits, animal fur and…
Waxes Solid or semisolid materials derived from petroleum distillates or residues. Light-colored, more or less translucent crystalline masses, slightly greasy…
WBND Westbound
WBZ Wet Bulb Zero - the height where the wet-bulb temperature goes below 0°C. It is important because WBZ heights between 7000 ft and 10,500 ft (above ground…
WC/ATWC West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center. The National Weather Service's West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, AK has a regional…
WCM Warning Coordination Meteorologist
WDIR On a buoy report, wind direction (the direction the wind is coming from in degrees clockwise from true N) during the same period used for WSPD.
WDLY Widely
WDSPRD Widespread
Weak Echo Region (Abbrev. WER) - A WSR-88D radar product which displays reflectivity for up to 8 elevation angles for a radar operator selected location as a set…
Weather The state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.
Weather Forecast Office (Abbrev. WFO) - this type of National Weather Service office is responsible for issuing advisories, warnings, statements, and short term forecasts for its…
Weather Forecast Office (WFO) A National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office.
Weatherfax See RADIOFACSIMILE
Weatherization Caulking and weatherstripping to reduce air infiltration and exfiltration into/out of a building.
Weatherstripping A material used to seal gaps around windows and exterior doors.
Wedge The wedge can be adjusted during a race to slightly change the handling of the car.
Wedge Tornado Slang for a large tornado with a condensation funnel that is at least as wide (horizontally) at the ground as it is tall (vertically) from the ground to…
Weed An undesirable plant.
Weediness Unwanted effects of a plant.
Weep hole A drain embedded in a concrete or masonry structure intended to relieve pressure caused by seepage behind the structure.
WEFAX System for transmitting weather charts and imagery via satellite. Occasionally used as an abbreviation for radiofacsimile via HF radio.
Weighing-Type Precipitation Gage A rain gage that weighs the rain or snow which falls into a bucket set on a platform of a spring or lever balance.
Weighting of a slope Additional material placed on the slope of an embankment.
Weir An overflow structure built across an open channel to raise the upstream water level and/or to measure the flow of water.
Weld To build up or fasten together metals by bonding on molten metal.
Well A hole or shaft drilled into the earth to get water or other underground substances.
Well field Area containing one or more wells that produces usable amounts of water.
Well graded A good representation in the material of all particle sizes present from the largest to smallest.
Wellpoint A pipe fitted with a driving point and a fine mesh screen used to remove underground water.
WER Weak Echo Region - Radar term for a region of relatively weak reflectivity at low levels on the inflow side of a thunderstorm echo, topped by stronger…
West African Disturbance Line A line of convection about 300 miles long, similar to a squall line. It forms over west Africa north of the equator and south of 15 degrees North latitude.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Also known as Texas Sweet Light, is a type of crude oil used as a benchmark in oil pricing and the underlying commodity of New York Mercantile Exchange's…
West Wall The coast side boundary of the Gulf Stream, typically south of Cape Hatteras. See also North Wall
Westerlies The prevailing winds that blow from the west in the mid-latitudes.
Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) The Western Area Power Administration markets and delivers reliable, cost-based hydroelectric power and related services within a 15-state region of the…
Western blot A test for detecting the specific antibodies to HIV in a person's blood. It is commonly used to verify positive EIA tests.
Western Systems Coordinating Council (WSCC) The Western System Coordinating Council is a voluntary industry association created to enhance reliability amoung western utilities.
Wet Bulb Zero (Abbrev. WBZ) - the height where the wet-bulb temperature goes below 0°C. It is important because WBZ heights between 7000 ft and 10,500 ft (above ground…
Wet closed-cycle cooling system See Closed-loop cooling system
Wet cooling system See Closed-cycle cooling system
Wet Floodproofing An approach to floodproofing which usually is a last resort. Flood waters are intentionally allowed into the building to minimize water pressure on the…
Wet Microburst A microburst accompanied by heavy precipitation at the surface. A rain foot may be a visible sign of a wet microburst.
wet scrubber An air pollution control device used to remove pollutants by bringing a gas stream into contact with a liquid.
Wet unit weight The unit weight of solids plus water per unit volume, irrespective of the degree of saturation.
wet weight See: fresh weight.
wet-bulb depression The difference in degrees between the air temperature (dry-bulb temperature) and the wet-bulb temperature.
Wet-Bulb Temperature The lowest temperature that can be obtained by evaporting water into the air.
Wetland Area covered all or part of the year by water. Can be identified by typical plants and soil types.
Wetlands Area having specific hydric soil and water table characteristics supporting or capable of supporting wetlands vegetation.
Wetted perimeter The distance along the bottom and sides of a stream, creek, or channel in contact with the water.
wetting agent A substance (usually a detergent) that improves the contact of a liquid to a solid surface by reducing its surface tension.
WFO Weather Forecast Office - this type of National Weather Service office is responsible for issuing advisories, warnings, statements, and short term…
WFP Warm Front Passage
Whaler A horizontal beam in a bracing structure.
Wheeling The process of transmitting electricity over one or more separately owned electric transmission and distribution systems.
Whirlwind A small, rotating column of air; may be visible as a dust devil.
White blood cell (WBC) The primary effector cells against infection and tissue damage. WBCs are formed from the undifferentiated stem cell that can give rise to all blood cells.
White Blood Cells Cells that fight infection.
White Light (WL) Sunlight integrated over the visible portion of the spectrum (4000 - 7000 angstroms) so that all colors are blended to appear white to the eye.
White Light Flare In solar-terrestrial terms, a major flare in which small parts become visible in white light.
White noise Random energy containing all frequency components in equal proportions.
Whitecap The breaking crest of a wave, usually white and frothy.
Whole House Fan A mechanical/electrical device used to pull air out of an interior space; usually located in the highest location of a building, in the ceiling, and…
whole tree chips Wood chips produced by chipping whole trees, usually in the forest. Thus the chips contain both bark and wood.
Whole-tree harvesting A harvesting method in which the whole tree (above the stump) is removed.
Wholesale customers Any entity that purchases electricity at the wholesale level, including municipal utilities, private utilities, rural electric cooperatives, or…
Wholesale electricity markets The purchase and sale of electricity from generators to resellers (who sell to retail customers) along with the ancillary services needed to maintain…
Wholesale power market The purchase and sale of electricity from generators to resellers (who sell to retail customers) along with the ancillary services needed to maintain…
Wholesale transmission services The transmission of electric energy sold, or to be sold, at wholesale in interstate commerce.
Wholesale Wheeling The wheeling of electric power in amounts and at prices that generally have been negotiated in long term contracts between the power provider and a…
Wicket gate In hydropower applications a gate which pivots open around the periphery of a turbine or pump to allow water to enter.
Wickiup Temporary dwelling framed of arched poles covered by brush, bark, rushes, or mats.
Widespread Areal coverage of non-measurable, non-convective weather and/or restrictions to visibility affecting more than 50 percent of a forecast zone(s).
Wild and Scenic Rivers (WSR) Act Primary river conservation law enacted in 1968. The Act was specifically intended by Congress to balance the existing policy of building dams on rivers…
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (Public Law 90-542) The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act selects certain rivers possessing remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, or other similar…
Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 Act passed by Congress in 1971 giving BLM the responsibility to protect, manage, and control wild horses.
Wild horses and burros Unbranded and unclaimed horses or burros roaming free on public lands in the western United States and protected by the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro…
Wild type An organism as found in nature; the organism before it is genetically engineered.
Wilderness All lands included in the National Wilderness Preservation System by public law, generally defined as undeveloped federal land retaining its primeval…
Wilderness act See the wilderness act.
Wilderness characteristics Wilderness characteristics include (1) Naturalness: the area generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint…
Wilderness resource Resources identified in officially designated wilderness areas on Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management administered land.
Wildfire Any nonstructural fire that occurs in the wildland.
Wildlands Any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation, e.g., forests, grasslands, rangelands.
Wildlife corridor Linear spaces that connect various areas of an animal's habitat (i.e., links between feeding, watering, resting, breeding, or seasonal habitats).
Wildlife Refuge An area designated for the protection or replenishment of wild animals, within which hunting and fishing are either prohibited or strictly controlled.
Willingness to pay Method of estimating the value of activities, services, or other goods, where value is defined as the maximum amount a consumer would be willing to pay…
willstatter lignin Lignin obtained from the lignocellulosic complex after it has been extracted with hydrochloric acid.
Willy-Willy A tropical cyclone of hurricane strength near Australia.
wilt Drooping of stems and foliage due to loss of cell turgor. May be caused by water stress or by disease.
Wilting point The moisture content of soil at which plants start to wilt, but not to the extent that they fail to recover when placed in a humid atmosphere.
Winch A drum that can be rotated so as to exert a strong pull while winding in a line.
Wind The horizontal motion of the air past a given point. Winds begin with differences in air pressures.
Wind Advisory Sustained winds 25 to 39 mph and/or gusts to 57 mph. Issuance is normally site specific.
Wind Chill Reference to the Wind Chill Factor; increased wind speeds accelerate heat loss from exposed skin, and the wind chill is a measure of this effect.
Wind Chill Advisory The National Weather Service issues this product when the wind chill could be life threatening if action is not taken.