Walker Branch Watershed: site description and research scope

Conference · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:5194454

Harris, W F

Walker Branch Watershed is located on the Oak Ridge Reservation in the Ridge and Valley section of Tennessee. The watershed (97 ha consisting of 2 subwatersheds) is underlain by Knox Dolomite; soils formed over the dolomitic substrate are deep, well-drained Typic Paleudults. The watershed is forested. The overstory is predominantly oak-hickory with lesser amounts of pine and mesic hardwoods. The Walker Branch Watershed Project was initiated in 1967 to: relate the productivity and water quality of the stream to the productivity and nutrient balance of the adjacent terrestrial ecosystem; relate the net loss of nutrient elements to the rate of nutrient cycling; define the relationship between the hydrologic cycle and nutrient flux; provide benchmark information on natural terrestrial-aquatic ecosystems for comparison with man-modified situations; and to enable the measurement of environmental degradation caused by man's cultural practices. Research has been completed or is on-going in several distinct, but related, areas: ecosystem analysis of essential element dynamics (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and C), atmospheric and hydrologic input-output processes, trace element biogeochemistry (e.g., Cd, Pb, Zn) and sulfur. Research objectives have been approached by analysis of the role of important biological and physical processes, and the development of mathematical models.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5194454
• Report Number(s): CONF-770209-8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510100 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
520100* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
580400 -- Geochemistry-- (-1989)
ALKALI METALS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
BIOMASS
CADMIUM
CALCIUM
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FLUIDS
FORESTS
GEOCHEMICAL SURVEYS
HYDROLOGY
LEAD
MAGNESIUM
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METALS
METEOROLOGY
MINERAL CYCLING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
NUTRIENTS
ORNL
PHOSPHORUS
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PLANTS
POTASSIUM
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SOILS
STREAMS
SULFUR
SURFACE WATERS
SYNTHESIS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
US AEC
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WATER QUALITY
WATERSHEDS
ZINC