12 May 2021

THE POWER OF ERDC: ERDC 2020–2030 STRATEGY

Abstract: The ERDC 2020–2030 Strategy outlines the origination of the organization, future direction, and the methods used to accomplish its research and development mission. The Strategy details the Ends (where we are going and why), the Ways (how we will get there), and the Means (the resources needed to get there) by which we will achieve the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) strategy. To realize its vision and maintain its world-class status, ERDC strives to be the go-to organization for the Warfighter and the nation to solve large complex problems in its mission space. To strengthen the outcomes from the Ends, Ways, and Means, ERDC has adopted the philosophy of the Understand- Predict-Shape (UPS) paradigm. The UPS paradigm maximizes the potential of ERDC’s current research programs and helps contemplate, develop, and define the organization’s future portfolio. UPS represents a holistic view of the operational environment: How to better Understand the Present, Predict the Future, and Shape the Outcome. The ERDC leadership team has looked toward the future and defined major strategic Science and Technology campaigns that offer challenges that ERDC can, and should, effectively address.

29 Jan 2021

Optical and Acoustical Measurement of Ballistic Noise Signatures

Abstract: Supersonic projectiles in air generate acoustical signatures that are fundamentally related to the projectile’s shape, size, and velocity. These characteristics influence various mechanisms involved in the generation, propagation, decay, and coalescence of acoustic waves. To understand the relationships between projectile shape, size, velocity, and the physical mechanisms involved, an experimental effort captured the acoustic field produced by a range of supersonic projectiles using both conventional pressure sensors and a schlieren imaging system. The results of this ongoing project will elucidate those fundamental mechanisms, enabling more sophisticated tools for detection, classification, localization, and tracking. This paper details the experimental setup, data collection, and preliminary analysis of a series of ballistic projectiles, both idealized and currently in use by the U.S. Military.

29 Jan 2021

Hydrologic Impacts on Human Health: El Niño Southern Oscillation and Cholera

Abstract: A non-stationary climate imposes considerable challenges regarding potential public health concerns. The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, which occurs every 2 to 7 years, correlates positively with occurrences of the waterborne disease cholera. The warm sea surface temperatures and extreme weather associated with ENSO create optimal conditions for breeding the Vibrio cholerae pathogen and for human exposure to the pathogenic waters. This work explored the impacts of ENSO on cholera occurrence rates over the past 50 years by examining annual rates of suspected cholera cases per country in relation to ENSO Index values. This study provides a relationship indicating when hydrologic conditions are optimal for cholera growth, and presents a statistical approach to answer three questions: Are cholera outbreaks more likely to occur in an El Niño year? What other factors impact cholera outbreaks? How will the future climate impact cholera incidence rates as it relates to conditions found in ENSO? Cholera outbreaks from the 1960s to the present are examined focusing on regions of Central and South America, and southern Asia. By examining the predictive relationship between climate variability and cholera, we can draw conclusions about future vulnerability to cholera and other waterborne pathogenic diseases.

19 Jan 2021

Incorporating Color Change Propensity into Dredged Material Management to Increase Beneficial Use Opportunities

Dredged materials provide a number of beneficial use opportunities, including beach nourishment, habitat creation and restoration, and other activities. In situ sediment color is important for determining aesthetic and habitat suitability, for beach nourishment, and for other projects. However, dredged materials must meet locally established color compatibility requirements (for example, material cannot be too dark). Often, potential sediment sources are close to meeting specified color thresholds, and previous observations suggest that sediments lighten over time. In response to these observations, this study quantified sediment color change potential in a dredged m material management context. Results indicate that dredged material sediment color responded to changes in secondary color components, sediment mixing, and photolytic bleaching improving the sediment color for beneficial use application. Findings allowed for development of a conceptual color change capacity framework and supported development of tools for resource managers to incorporate color change dynamic into planning and operations activities. The following report provides a framework for determining the color change capacity of dredged materials using (1) a comprehensive laboratory approach and (2) a semiquantitative index based on source material and placement location conditions. These tools allow practitioners to incorporate dredged-material color change into resource management decisions, thus increasing beneficial use opportunities.

27 Aug 2020

USACE launches new podcast series “Engineering With Nature”

A new podcast series tells the stories of how, over the last 10 years, a growing international community of practitioners, scientists, engineers, and researchers across many disciplines and organizations are working together to combine natural and engineering systems to solve problems and diversify infrastructure value by applying the principles and practices of Engineering With Nature®.

31 Jul 2020

ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory awarded construction contract for new climatic chamber facility

On July 9, 2020, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center announced that the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) was awarded an Unspecified Minor Military Construction Authority (UMMCA) contract to build a climatic chamber facility on the Hanover, New Hampshire, campus.

5 Jun 2020

Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory announces closure of child development center

The Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) announced June 5 that the child development center currently located at the laboratory in Hanover, New Hampshire, is scheduled to permanently close Sept. 15.

27 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Proceedings from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)–National Ocean Service (NOS): Ecological Habitat Modeling Workshop

ABSRACT: This special report summarizes the activities of the Ecological Habitat Modeling Workshop held April 11–12, 2019, at the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center in Cambridge, Maryland. The workshop guided 21 participants through the process of conceptualizing, quantifying, evaluating, and communicating ecological responses to inform guidance and management decisions for ecological restoration projects. Working in interactive groups, participants used the restoration work already in progress at nearby Swan Island as the basis for their model development. Over the course of the two-day workshop, participants learned the mechanics and challenges of applying modeling processes to shape the restoration of dynamic ecosystems. Through group work and brainstorming, they identified a number of benchmarks to assess restoration success and future resilience. To accommodate the changeable and often unpredictable natural events that can shape ecosystems, workshop facilitators emphasized building iterative, fluid ecological habitat models. Next steps include publishing this special report and scheduling a follow-up workshop that will include a site visit to Swan Island.

27 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: AIS Data Case Study: River Level and Vessel Approach Variation at Melvin Price Locks and Dam in St. Louis District

ABSRACT: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), St. Louis District (MVS), manages multiple lock and dam structures on the Mississippi River. One of these, Melvin Price Locks and Dam (MPLD), was the subject of at least 12 allision events from downbound (southbound) vessels between January and November 2018 according to US Coast Guard (USCG) records, an unusually high number for this location. In an effort to understand how vessel operations change under varying river conditions, historical river gauge data and historical vessel position data for both upbound (northbound) and downbound (southbound) traffic were examined together to describe general approach paths for vessels at different water levels. Historic tracks for vessels involved in allusion events are not included in this work because of ongoing investigations at the time of publication.

27 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Benefits of Engineered Habitats to Seasonal Bird Communities on the Savannah Harbor Navigation Project, Dredged Material Containment Areas, 1994-2012

Abstract: This report presents the results of a long-term habitat and trend analyses of bird community data from a monitoring effort conducted on five Dredged Material Containment Areas (DMCAs) from 1994 to 2012. The USACE Savannah District developed and implemented a Long-Term Management Strategy (LTMS) for the DMCAs in 1996 to mitigate lost wetland habitat due to maintenance operations in the Savannah Harbor, and to provide habitat for the floral and faunal communities that otherwise would be available if not for the urban and economic development of the area. Bimonthly surveys were conducted from 1994 to 2012 to assess the effectiveness of the LTMS to provide seasonal habitat for the bird community. Archived quarterly satellite imagery was collected and analyzed from 2001 to 2011 to assess year-round seasonal habitat availability. All bird community data collected were fitted to a negative binomial (mean abundance) or Poisson distribution (mean species richness) and used to assess trends for 180 individual species and 12 species groups for spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons from 1994 to 2012. Results indicate that the Savannah DMCAs support stable to increasing populations of most species and species groups during each season, including many species ranked as regional priority species.