16 Jul 2026

The Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) Screening Process: Stage A Development and National Results

Abstract: Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) pilots demonstrate the potential to use modern forecasting methods to manage water more effectively. Growing demand for water, coupled with rising incidence of both drought and flood conditions, creates urgency for adapting reservoir operations. The FIRO Screening Process is a US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) effort to gauge readiness for and provide a point of entry to the FIRO approach. Screening identifies USACE reservoirs that might be candidates for FIRO implementation. This report offers an overview of Stage A of the FIRO Screening Process, which eliminates sites with prohibitive barriers to FIRO (e.g., no controlled outlet, no water control plan, poor forecast skill). Stages B and C entail more in-depth assessments of potential benefits and challenges of implementing FIRO at a site. This report provides an overview of the screening approach, the development of Stage A, and results from screening the national portfolio of USACE reservoirs. Stage A eliminated 184 reservoirs (31 percent) of the national portfolio from further consideration for FIRO. The 409 sites (69 percent) of the national portfolio that passed Stage A are eligible for further screening of FIRO suitability in Stage B.

15 Jul 2026

Characterization Methods for Navigation-Channel Sediment and Debris

Purpose: The purpose of this Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) is to describe the equipment and methods available for characterizing sediment and debris located in navigation channels. This overview is intended for US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) district personnel involved in dredging project planning, engineering, design, and operations. The tools outlined in this note include side-scan sonars, multibeam echosounders, sub-bottom profiling, penetrometers, and physical sediment sampling, all of which can aid planning for dredging, including beneficial use of dredged material. These tools are particularly relevant at sites that have not been dredged in many years and for new work, including channel deepening.

14 Jul 2026

Evaluation and Improvement of Postfire Curve Number Methods in Arid and Semiarid Watersheds

Abstract: This research assesses the Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS-CN) loss method’s suitability for postfire hydrologic processes. The SCS-CN method, favored for its simplicity, was not designed for post-wildfire application. We evaluated two existing methods that adjust the SCS-CN model for wildfire effects and proposed a revised method. This new method adjusts the initial abstraction ratio (λ) and CN based on antecedent soil moisture conditions. Three wildfire-impacted Southern California watersheds were modeled using the SCS-CN method. Prefire data were used to estimate the average CN for each subbasin, which were then used to evaluate the SCS-CN methods for postfire application. This study found that unadjusted SCS-CN application underestimated excess-precipitation volume and peak discharges. The Higginson method had mixed success, while the Livingston method overestimated peak discharges and excess-precipitation volume. The revised method performed best when compared against observed data using various performance metrics. The study concludes that adjusting λ and CN based on antecedent root zone soil moisture conditions consistently improved model performance. The overestimation by the Livingston method underscores the need for caution when applying regional methods.

14 Jul 2026

Shoreline Change in Response to Wind- and Vessel-Generated Waves at Mordecai Island, New Jersey

Abstract: Mordecai Island is an undeveloped island in southeastern Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. It shelters the adjacent area and provides important habitat but also has a long history of erosion, breaching in the 1980s. Dredged sediment was used to fill the breach, various shore protection features have been added, and future erosion mitigation is planned to include an emergent breakwater. The proximity to Beach Haven Inlet, the fetch over Barnegat Bay, and the short distance from the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway mean that tidal currents, wind waves, and vessel wakes are all potential drivers of erosion. Water level, current, and wave data were collected from November 2019 to January 2020 and June 2021 to August 2021 to help characterize forcing, and a machine learning algorithm was developed to identify vessel wakes. Spatial distributions of wind waves and vessel wakes were inferred from simplified models, their reasonableness assessed with measurements, and they were compared to shoreline retreat data. Shoreline retreat was determined from topobathymetric data spanning 2014 to 2019. Comparisons can provide insights about the observed erosion, but marsh edge retreat can be highly variable and strongly influenced by a range of factors that was not in the scope of this study.

10 Jul 2026

Microsoft Azure Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning Hackathon for Development of Retrieval-Augmented Generation Large Language Model

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Civil Works (CW) research and development (R&D) mission is to address challenging environmental sustainability problems through innovative science and engineering, which helps to ensure a safer, more prosperous, and more resilient nation. To achieve this, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) plans, executes, leads, and directs many R&D programs in coordination with USACE Headquarters, Districts, and Divisions through its multiple strategic focus areas, which include infrastructure, water modeling, crisis preparedness, ecosystem, sediment management, data, artificial intelligence, and robotics. In this process, much information is generated, including internal progress reviews, financial reports, scopes of work, work package planning, and success stories.

7 Jul 2026

FIMOFs: Fiber-Integrated Metal–Organic Frameworks through Electrospinning

Abstract: Green synthesis plays a crucial role in advancing sustainability within materials science. This study explores the integration of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), obtained through green synthesis, using an electrospinning post-processing technique to develop MOF-based composite materials. The resulting novel multifunctional composites demonstrate enhanced stability and functionality, compared to their control counterparts. The integration of four types of MOFs into an electrospun fiber network was investigated using a specific polymer solution. Characterization and preliminary adsorption studies were conducted to elucidate the chemistry, morphology, and adsorptive capabilities of the resulting MOF composites. Electrospinning MOFs into polymer fibers improved their stability and dye removal capabilities. More specifically, optimization of MOF-to-polymer ratios and processing conditions yielded composites that are thermally stable, with modified surface area and porosity. Post-processing MOFs resulted in a fiber diameter increase of 44 and 109%, enhancing the composites by providing more MOF active sites and improved mechanical strength. Zirconium-based post-processed MOFs demonstrated superior dye removal, different from the copper-based dyes. Electrospinning technology has demonstrated significant potential in the fabrication of high-performance multifunctional MOF composites. This has helped to create advanced sustainable composites with tailored properties, paving the way for more targeted and efficient applications. The applications of these composites show promise for military engineering where durable, light weight, and multifunctional materials are critical in contributing to improved performance, operational efficiency, and safety.

7 Jul 2026

GREAT v1.0: Global Real-time Early Assessment of Tsunamis

Abstract: We introduce a tsunami warning technology towards a global real-time analysis. The technology is based on the analysis of acoustic signals generated together with the tsunami, due to the compression of the water layer. The acoustic signals propagate much faster than the tsunami and thus can be recorded at hydrophone stations, which in turn enables the analysis in real time. The presented technology comprises a collection of models that have been integrated into a software with the goal to make it operational and to complement efforts by warning centres and provide a more reliable assessment, globally. The main models that were integrated into the software are presented and briefly discussed. Test cases performed by the software are compared with DART buoy observations, showing satisfactory agreement, though discrepancies arise in particular at far distances and locations separated by land. The calculation time of a full global-scale analysis is in the order of tens of seconds on a standard multi-core machine, without reliance on pre-computations, making it an appropriate real-time forecast.

7 Jul 2026

Engineer Research and Development Center Process Automation System (E-PAS) Database Checker

Abstract: The purpose of this document is to specify the software requirements, architecture, and design for the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Process Automation System (E-PAS) Database Checker, a tool that monitors the E-PAS database and provides notifications based on its size. This document is designed for the software engineers and developers maintaining Database Checker and is intended to aid them in understanding its architecture and underlying functionality.

7 Jul 2026

Technical Regional Execution Center No Effect Table (TREC NET)

Abstract: The purpose of this document is to specify the software requirements, architecture, and design for the Technical Regional Execution Center (TREC) No Effect Table (NET) macro suite, a collection of automated software routines and functions developed to manage and operate the NET. This document is designed for the software engineers and developers maintaining the macro suite and is intended to aid them in understanding its architecture and underlying functionality.

6 Jul 2026

Rapid Assessment of Airfield Pavements

Abstract: The US Navy identified pavement assessment shortfalls under its Facilities Shore Readiness (FSR) program. Two assessment needs were related to (1) rapidly assessing the condition of existing concrete structures such as roads, parking lots, and airfields of port facilities and (2) using nondestructive devices to determine pavement thickness. The project described in this report evaluated the efficacy of two technologies: WayLink Systems Corporation’s automated pavement condition surveys and the MIRA Shear Wave 3D Tomographer, which identify real-time pavement surface conditions and pavement thicknesses, respectively. These commercial off-the-shelf systems offer great potential value, especially when historical construction and maintenance data are unavailable. Test data for this project were collected on asphalt and concrete runways, taxiways, aprons, parking lots, and roads. The overall results indicated that automated pavement surveys are not currently ready for full implementation on airfield pavements. The MIRA tomographer had success in estimating pavement thickness and is recommended for implementation in pavement evaluations.