oak ridge reservation physical characteristics and natural resources

12.6 BIOSPHERE RESERVE
The Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park Biosphere Reserve was designated in
1988 (see Fig. 11). Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems that are
internationally recognized within the framework of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program. Collectively, they constitute a MAB
World Network. Each biosphere reserve is encouraged to fulfill three functions, as appropriate, within
its management framework: (1) a conservation function (contributing to the conservation of
landscapes, ecosystems, species, and genetic variation), (2) a development function (fostering
economic and human development that is socioculturally and ecologically sustainable), and (3) a
logistic function (providing support for research, monitoring, education, and information exchange
related to local, national, and global issues of conservation and development). The Oak Ridge
National Environmental Research Park Biosphere Reserve is managed by ORNL for DOE.
In addition, the Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park Biosphere Reserve is a unit within
the regional zone of the Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve. The MAB World Network is
comprised of more than 360 biosphere reserves. The Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere
Program is one of the most active of 47 U.S. biosphere reserves and is regarded as an international
model.
13. REFERENCES
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Vascular Plants on the Oak Ridge Reservation. ES/ER/TM-194, Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
Environmental Restoration Division, Oak Ridge, TN. June.
Birdwell, K. R. 1996. “A Climatology of Winds over a Ridge and Valley Terrain within the Great
Valley of Eastern Tennessee.” Master’s thesis, Murray State University, Department of
Geosciences, Murray, KY.
Bowen, B. 2001. Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, letter to Leah Dever,
Department of Energy Oak Ridge Operations Manager, June 18.
Carlson, M. A., and R. B. Stull. 1986. “Subsidence in the Nocturnal Boundary Layer.” Journal of
Climate and Applied Meteorology 25, 1088–99.
Cowardin, L. M., V. Carter, F. C. Golet, and E. T. LaRoe. 1979. Classification of Wetlands and
Deepwater Habitats of the United States. FWS/OBS-79/31, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Washington, D.C.
DOE (U.S. Department of Energy). 2005. Oak Ridge Reservation Annual Site Environmental Report
for 2004. DOE/ORO/2204, Oak Ridge, TN, September.
Eckman, R. M. 1998. “Observations and Numerical Simulations of Winds within a Broad Forested
Valley.” Journal of Applied Meteorology 37, 206–19.
Farnsworth, R. K., E. S. Thompson, and E. L. Peck. 1982. Evaporation Atlas for the Contiguous 48
United States. NOAA Technical Report NWS 33, National Weather Service Office of Hydrology,
Washington, D.C.
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