Three ERDC team members hang over the ice in a basket. A banner reads "What We Do."

What We Do

Our Mission

At ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), our mission is to solve interdisciplinary, strategically important problems impacting Warfighters and the nation in cold and complex regions.

What We Do

Our work centers on developing and delivering transformative technical solutions that meet operational challenges in cold and complex environments. Explore our research areas:

Biogeochemical sciences

We further our understanding of the Earth’s terrain state condition to enhance military readiness and prepare the nation for current and future climatic scenarios.

Engineering resources

We deliver environmentally relevant and transformative engineering solutions to test, evaluate, and improve infrastructure and equipment, particularly for use in cold regions.

Force projection and sustainment

We quantify the effects of changing environmental conditions on installations, maneuver, and materiel to sustain military and civil operations.

Terrestrial and cryospheric sciences

We advance our knowledge of ice, snow, and terrestrial behavior, mechanics, and forces to shape the outcome in achieving mission success.

Remote sensing and geographical information science (GIS)

We provide mission-essential geospatial support to all components of USACE, the Army, and the DoD with a focus on:

  • Navigation
  • Flood and coastal storm damage reduction
  • Hydrology and hydraulic effects of ice on waterways
  • Hydropower
  • Environmental regulation
  • Emergency management
  • Risk communication and assessment

Signature physics

We work to understand the effects of terrain and atmosphere on electromagnetic and mechanical signals in cold and complex domains.