15 Apr 2022

South Shore of Long Island, New York Regional Sediment Management Investigation: An Overview of Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is conducting the “South Shore of Long Island, New York Regional Sediment Management Investigation” to further understand sediment dynamics and to develop a comprehensive regional sediment management plan for the south shore of Long Island, New York. Regional sediment management is a systems approach using best management practices for more efficient and effective use of sediments in coastal, estuarine, and inland environments. This investigation seeks to characterize sediment movement on the south shore of Long Island as a holistic system across the entire study area. It focuses on the regional system post-Hurricane Sandy (October 2012) as the storm significantly altered the physical landscape with severe shoreline erosion, which resulted in the construction of projects to reduce the risk of future storms and stakeholder priorities with a new emphasis on bay-side sediment dynamics, such as channel shoaling and disappearing wetlands. Despite the fact the storm caused severe erosion, the equilibrium beach profile, depth of closure, and general shoreline orientation seem to be unaffected. Previous studies have characterized sediment movement at specific sections of the south shore, but these data have not been incorporated to create a system-wide perspective. Coordinating sediment management across the six Atlantic Ocean inlets, Great South Bay Channel, Intracoastal Waterway, and coastal storm risk management (CSRM) projects could save the federal government millions of dollars in dredging and sand placement actions. This technical note presents the progress the investigation has made to date and will be followed with a more in-depth technical report titled South Shore of Long Island, New York Regional Sediment Management Investigation: A Post-Hurricane Sandy Shoreline Evaluation, currently in preparation.

14 Apr 2022

Tombigbee River: River Miles 81.0–76.0 Sediment Management Study

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, Applied River Engineering Center (AREC), in cooperation with the Operations Branch of the Mobile District, conducted a sediment management study of the Sunflower Bend reach of the Tombigbee River, between River Miles 81.0 and 76.0, near Jackson, AL. The objective of the study was to look at sediment management alternatives to alleviate or eliminate repetitive maintenance dredging. These alternatives involved various river engineering measures including dikes, weirs, channel armoring, disposal armoring, and combinations thereof. A physical Hydraulic Sediment Response model was used to examine the sediment response resulting from these alternatives. During model testing, and after discussions with AREC and Mobile Operations Division staff, a second objective was established to define existing non-erodible bed materials that were located throughout the reach. This was conducted to examine the merits of strategically removing these erosion resistant materials in the river as an additional dredging/excavation alternative. The most favorable alternatives involved removing bedload sand and consolidated clay material from between River Miles 79.1 and 78.0 to improve navigation.

5 Apr 2022

Optimization of Reach-Scale Gravel Nourishment on the Green River below Howard Hanson Dam, King County, Washington

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, nourishes gravel downstream of Howard Hanson Dam (HHD) on the Green River in Washington State. The study team developed numerical models to support the ongoing salmonid habitat improvement mission downstream of HHD. Recent advancements in computing and numerical modeling software make long-term simulations in steep, gravel, cobble, and boulder river environments cost effective. The team calibrated mobile-bed, sediment-transport models for the pre-dam and post-dam periods. The modeling explored geomorphic responses to flow and sediment regime changes associated with HHD construction and operation. The team found that pre-dam conditions were significantly more dynamic than post-dam conditions and may have had lower spawning habitat quality in the project vicinity. The team applied the Bank Stability and Toe Erosion Model to the site and then calibrated to the post-dam gravel augmentation period. The team implemented a new hiding routine in HEC-RAS that improved the simulated grain size trends but underestimated coarse sediment transport. Models without the hiding function overestimated grain size but matched bed elevations and mass flux very well. Decade-long simulations of four future gravel nourishment conditions showed continued sediment storage in the reach. The storage rate was sensitive to nourishment mass and grain size.

5 Apr 2022

A Dynamic Hyperbolic Surface Model for Responsive Data Mining

Abstract: Data management systems impose structure on data via a static representation schema or data structure. Information from the data is extracted by executing queries based on predefined operators. This paradigm restricts the searchability of the data to concepts and relationships that are known or assumed to exist among the objects. While this is an effective and efficient means of retrieving simple information, we propose that such a structure severely limits the ability to derive breakthrough knowledge that exists in data under the guise of “unknown unknowns.” A dynamic system will alleviate this dependence, allowing theoretically infinite projections of the data to reveal discoverable relationships that are hidden by traditional use case-driven, static query systems. In this paper, we propose a framework for a data-responsive query algebra based on a dynamic hyperbolic surface model. Such a model could provide more intuitive access to analytics and insights from massive, aggregated datasets than existing methods. This model will significantly alter the means of addressing the underlying data by representing it as an arrangement on a dynamic, hyperbolic plane. Consequently, querying the data can be viewed as a process similar to quantum annealing, in terms of characterizing data representation as an energy minimization problem with numerous minima.

4 Apr 2022

Risk-Based Prioritization of Operational Condition Assessments: Jennings Randolph Case Study

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) operates, maintains, and manages over $232 billion worth of the Nation’s water resource infrastructure. Using Operational Condition Assessments (OCA), the USACE allocates limited resources to assess asset condition in efforts to minimize risks associated with asset performance degradation, but decision makers require a greater understanding of those risks. The analysis of risk associated with Flood Risk Management assets in the context of its associated watershed system includes understanding the consequences of the asset’s failure and a determination of the likelihood that the asset will perform as expected given the current OCA ratings of critical components. This research demonstrates an application of a scalable methodology to model the probability of a dam performing as expected given the state of its subordinate gates and their components. The research team combines this likelihood with consequences generated by the application of designed simulation experiments with hydrological models to develop a measure of risk. The resulting risk scores serve as an input for an optimization program that outputs the optimal set of components to conduct OCAs on to minimize risk in the watershed. Proof-of-concept results for an initial case study on the Jennings Randolph Dam are provided.

4 Apr 2022

Setup and Data Collection Process of an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) in a Laboratory Setting

Abstract: The purpose of this Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) is to outline experimental set up and the data collection process of an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) in a laboratory setting. The Nortek Vectrino ADV will be referenced in this CHETN as will the Nortek Comprehensive Manual for Velocimeters (Nortek AS 2018). Note that Nortek no longer sells the Vectrino, but the Vector, which is similar to the Vectrino aside from only having one configuration, is available.

31 Mar 2022

A Literature Review of Beach Nourishment Impacts on Marine Turtles

Abstract: This report was developed by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center-Environmental Laboratory (ERDC-EL) to summarize the known impacts to nesting sea turtles along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts resulting from beach nourishment. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for maintaining the nation’s infrastructure to include ports and harbors through dredging of Federal navigation channels as well as shoreline stabilization. Shoreline stabilization through beach nourishment activities can provide opportunities for reductions in storm surge, flood control, and provide opportunities for residential growth, recreational activities, and coastal habitat restoration (Guilfoyle et al. 2019). Beach nourishment is an effective method for protection and enhancement of coastal development projects but may have detrimental impacts on marine life (e.g., nesting sea turtles and shorebirds). The objective of this report is to examine all elements of the beach nourishment process including active beach construction, entrainment of marine turtles in hopper dredges, beach protection and hard structures, beach profile features, compaction and shear resistance, artificial lighting, marine turtle nest relocation, and nesting habitat factors. Recommendations for mitigating and minimizing these impacts are provided.

31 Mar 2022

Toward the Electrochemical Detection of 2,4-Dinitroanisole (DNAN) and Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN)

Abstract: Analytical methods to rapidly detect explosive compounds with high precision are paramount for applications ranging from national security to environmental remediation. This report demonstrates two proof-of-concept electroanalytical methods for the quantification of 2,4-dinitroanisol (DNAN) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). For the first time, DNAN reduction was analyzed and compared at a bare graphitic carbon electrode, a polyaniline-modified (PANI) electrode, and a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) electrode utilizing PANI to explore the effect of surface-area and preconcentration affinity on the analytical response. Since some explosive compounds such as PETN are not appreciably soluble in water (<10 μg/L), necessitating a different solvent system to permit direct detection via electrochemical reduction. A 1,2-dichloroethane system was explored as a possibility by generating a liquid-liquid extraction-based sensor exploiting the immiscibility of 1,2-dichloroethane and water. The reduction process was explored using a scan rate analysis to extract a diffusion coefficient of 6.67 x 10⁻⁶ cm/s, in agreement with literature values for similarly structured nitrate esters. Once further refined, these techniques may be extended to other explosives and combined with portable electrochemical hardware to bring real-time chemical information to soldiers and citizens alike.

31 Mar 2022

Design, Construction, and Testing of the PFAS Effluent Treatment System (PETS), a Mobile Ion Exchange–Based System for the Treatment of Per-, Poly-Fluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) Contaminated Water

Abstract: Poly-,Per-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are versatile chemicals that were incorporated in a wide range of products. One of their most important use was in aqueous film-forming foams for fighting liquid fuel fires. PFAS compounds have recently been identified as potential environmental contaminants. In the United States there are hundreds of potential military sites with PFAS contamination.The ERDC designed and constructed a mobile treatment system to address small sites (250,000 gallons or less) and as a platform to field test new adsorptive media. The PFAS Effluent Treatment System (PETS) has cartridge filters to remove sediments and a granular activated carbon (GAC) media filter to remove organic compounds that might compete with PFAS in the ion exchange process, although it may also remove PFAS too. The last process is an ion exchange resin specifically designed to remove PFAS to a target level of 70 ng/L or less (equivalent to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Drinking Water Health Advisory). The system was tested at Hurlburt Field, a US Air Force facility in Florida and at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Mid-South in Millington, TN.

31 Mar 2022

Continued Investigation of Thermal and Lidar Surveys of Building Infrastructure

ABSTRACT: We conducted a combined lidar and thermal infrared survey from both ground-based and Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) platforms at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, in February 2020 to assess the building thermal envelope and infrastructure of the Crary Lab and the wet utility corridor (utilidor). These high-accuracy, coregistered data produced a 3-D model with assigned temperature values for measured surfaces, useful in identifying thermal anomalies and areas for potential improvements and for assessing building and utilidor infrastructure by locating and quantifying areas settlement and structural anomalies. The ground-based survey of the Crary Lab was similar to previous work performed by the team at both Palmer (2015) and South Pole (2017) Stations. The UAS platform focused on approximately 10,500 linear-feet of utilidor throughout McMurdo Station. The datasets of the two survey areas overlapped, allowing us to combine them into a single, georeferenced 3-D model of McMurdo Station. Coincident exterior temperature and atmospheric measurements and Global Navigation Satellite System real-time kinematic surveys provided further insights. Finally, we assessed the thermal envelope of the Crary Lab and the structural features of the utilidor. The resulting dataset is available for analysis and quantification.