5 Feb 2026

GeoClimate Intelligence Platform: A Web-Based Framework for Environmental Data Analysis

Abstract: Environmental science education faces a critical barrier: programming requirements prevent students, novice researchers, and domain experts from accessing planetary-scale datasets. This study presents the GeoClimate Intelligence Platform, a web-based framework powered by Google Earth Engine (GEE) that eliminates programming barriers while maintaining research-grade analytical capabilities. The platform comprises five integrated modules: GeoData Explorer for climate dataset access, Climate Analytics implementing 20+ ETCCDI-compliant climate indices, Hydrology Analyzer for precipitation analysis and return periods, Product Selector for dataset validation, and Data Visualizer for interactive analysis. This modular design supports integrated workflows while maintaining analytical independence across specialized functions. Development was motivated by workshops where students found programming barriers insurmountable despite strong motivation. Educational validation through university coursework demonstrated effectiveness. Performance evaluation shows robust scalability from educational to research-scale applications. The platform requires only a GEE account and operates through web browsers, eliminating software installation. This accessibility transformation enables broader participation in data-driven environmental problem-solving with scientific rigor, democratizing sophisticated environmental analysis for educational and research communities.

5 Feb 2026

Upscaling Nature-Based Solutions for Reducing Risk from Natural Hazards: From Process to Practice

Abstract: Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer an innovative approach to reducing risks from natural hazards, aligning ecological processes with engineering objectives. However, successfully scaling NbS from site-specific interventions to systems-level applications remains a challenge. This paper examines an Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) case study to explore how NbS can be integrated into broader, systems-based engineering practices, demonstrating the transition from conceptual design to wide-scale, regional implementation. One such case study is Deer Island, located off the coast of Mississippi, USA, where EWN approaches stabilized shorelines and restored critical habitats. The project utilized natural sediment transport processes to rebuild marsh and dune systems, enhancing the island’s resilience to storm surges and erosion. Through careful integration of natural and engineered systems, Deer Island serves as a model for how NbS can mitigate risks at both local and regional scales, increasing the ability to recover from a natural disaster and overall ecological health. In particular, the case study highlights the benefit of designing for multiple integrated ecosystem components to deliver a diverse array of ecological functions, goods, and services. The paper further underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, highlighting the role of landscape architects in creating multifunctional designs that incorporate natural features and processes. These designs enhance ecosystem services while addressing societal needs, providing a blueprint for how when combined landscape architecture, science, and engineering can synergize in NbS projects. By synthesizing lessons from the EWN and emphasizing the need for cross-sector collaboration, this paper outlines pathways to scale NbS from localized efforts to comprehensive strategies that reduce coastal storm risk.

3 Feb 2026

Sensitivity and Impact of Atmospheric Forcings on Hurricane Wind Wave Modeling in the Gulf of Mexico Using Nested WAVEWATCH III

Abstract: Precise estimation of hurricane wind-induced waves is critical to enhance the accuracy of predicting coastal flooding events in real-time besides helping in the design of sustainable coastal/offshore structures. In this study, we aim to investigate the importance of atmospheric forcings and their impact on wind wave modeling for extreme hurricane conditions in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) basin. Hurricanes Michael (2018) and Ida (2021) were chosen to be modeled as they were among the two most severe storm events that attained category 5 and category 4 status, respectively, during landfall in the GOM basin. A multi-grid nested modeling approach was implemented in WAVEWATCH III with three different wind forcings: ECMWF’s ERA5, NOAA’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR: v3 and v4) and ECMWF’s Operational High-Resolution Forecast Model (ECMWF) to model both hurricanes. The results generated through model simulations of various cases were compared with the field observations obtained at NDBC stations. One of the findings suggests that the ERA5 based wind model substantially underestimates the peak winds of both the hurricanes by 50–60 %, thereby resulting in significant underestimation of the wave heights by 40 %. Although the ECMWF model could not capture the maximum winds generated by Michael and Ida, it still gave better results than the ERA5 and HRRR (v3). The updated version (v4) of HRRR performed better than both ERA5 and ECMWF wind models in predicting the peak wind speeds and wind field distribution of Hurricane Ida in all the quadrants.

30 Jan 2026

Estimating Component Probability of Failure at USACE Civil Works Facilities for Asset Management

Abstract: Infrastructure components are the building blocks of US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) facilities such as navigation locks and dams. Estimates of component probability of failure are needed to support risk-informed decisions about managing and maintaining these systems and their components. At Inland Navigation (INAV) facilities, the models and methods currently in use are based on an expert elicitation. There is a need for more objective estimates of component probability of failure derived from data using statistical models and methods. This report demonstrates these models and methods and describes what kinds of data would be needed to put them into practice. The major impediment to putting these models and methods into practice is a lack of data on the age, performance, and other characteristics of in-service components. It will take time to develop these data. In the meantime, this report describes how these statistical methods and models can be adapted for use with operational condition assessment (OCA) ratings, which USACE maintains in an existing database at the enterprise scale. Finally, this report describes an analytical approach to criticality assessment, which is a systematic process for identifying which components, if failed, would lead to significant operational disruptions.

30 Jan 2026

Linear Propagation of Tsunami and Acoustic–Gravity Waves on a Sphere: Geometrical Focusing and Defocusing

Abstract: This study investigates the propagation of tsunami and acoustic–gravity waves at oceanic scales, accounting for the Earth’s curvature within a linear, potential flow framework. While local, near-field analyses often neglect Earth’s curvature and employ Cartesian or cylindrical coordinate systems, this work utilises spherical coordinates to examine wave behaviour over large distances. The analysis reveals that wave amplitudes experience a defocusing effect as they travel from the source (e.g., the Pole) toward the equator, followed by a focusing effect as they approach the antipodal point beyond the equator. A qualitative comparison is made with the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption in the South Pacific. The study models surface-gravity (tsunami) waves propagating through a compressible water layer, as well as atmospheric acoustic–gravity waves propagating through the air. The entire analysis is carried out within the framework of linear theory.

29 Jan 2026

A Monolithically Coupled Surface Water and Groundwater Finite Element Model with Fully Implicit Time Stepping Using Adaptive Hydraulics (AdH) v5.0 (KraRE: 21428 (ken)

Abstract: Simulation of surface water and groundwater interaction is becoming increasingly important for the US Army Corps of Engineer Civil Works and Military Missions. This report details the formulation of a monolithic, coupled approach that combines the Richards equation for variably saturated groundwater flow and a diffusive wave approximation for overland flow. The model is implemented with USACE’s Adaptive Hydraulics (AdH) computational framework and is evaluated for several community benchmark problems. The results indicate that the AdH model is stable with performance similar to existing, well-established codes for surface water and groundwater interaction.

21 Jan 2026

Development of Tidal and Surge Forcing in Boussinesq Wave Model FUNWAVE-TVD

PURPOSE: This Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) documents the development of the tidal and surge-forcing module in the Boussinesq wave model FUNWAVE–Total Variation Diminishing (TVD) for wind-wave simulations, subjected to large-scale boundary forcing conditions. In a series of recent projects undertaken by the Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) of the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), there was a need to model wind waves under time-varying boundary conditions due to tides, storm surges, or strong background flows. The implications on wave runup and overtopping (flooding) around inlets, due to the interaction of tide or surge-driven flows and waves (wave-current interactions), make the need for the development of surge and tide forcing vital to modeling waves with a Boussinesq-type model like FUNWAVE-TVD. Furthermore, strong velocity flows (currents) are not only responsible for depth-limited wave transformation and breaking at inlets but also directly influence sediment transport. Most phase-resolving wave models cannot facilitate these kinds of simulations because the wavemaker cannot generate the phase-resolving wave conditions and low-frequency motions (e.g., tides) at the same time. For example, in FUNWAVE-TVD, the combination of an internal wavemaker and a sponge layer is used to generate wind waves in the shoreward direction while absorbing waves with the sponge layer in the seaward direction behind the wavemaker. However, this type of combined system of wave generation and absorption cannot readily incorporate the external low-frequency forcing into wave generation.

13 Jan 2026

Wave Information Study ERA5 Wind-Field Evaluation

Abstract: The Wave Information Study (WIS) provides continuous wave hindcasts along US coastlines, including the Great Lakes and US Territories. As wave modeling and wind-field technologies have advanced, WIS is now positioned to transition to the new long-term archived hindcast wind fields available from ERA5, the fifth-generation global atmospheric reanalysis from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Before adopting ERA5 operationally within the WIS hindcast, formal testing compared ERA5 wind-forced hindcasts to the existing WIS hindcasts using Nation Center for Atmospheric Research Reanalysis 1 (NCAR-R1) winds. Results were validated against collocated and concurrent point-source and altimeter-based wave measurements from 2015 to 2018. ERA5 showed a 53% improvement in significant wave-height bias in the Atlantic and 76%–77% improvements in the Pacific. While improvements in average wave period were less consistent, ERA5 still showed better correlation across all domains. Hawaii showed modest improvements, except for bias. ERA5 also outperformed NCAR-R1 in mean wave direction at peak frequency, with bias reductions of 5%–72%, most notably in Hawaii, where wave modeling is typically challenging. Overall, it was concluded that the ERA5 forced WIS estimates were more accurate than the NCAR forced WIS estimates, supporting the operational transition of WIS to ERA5.

13 Jan 2026

Major Freight Corridors in the US: Mapping of Commodity Flows on Waterborne, Rail, and Truck Networks

Abstract: Within the context of complex, interconnected, multimodal transportation, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) provides safe, reliable, efficient, effective, and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation systems for the movement of commerce, national security needs, and recreation. Understanding the role of waterways within the multimodal transportation system would allow for comprehensive resource allocation, including dredging prioritization. In 2022, approximately 19,810 million tons of goods were transported within, to, and from the US, with truck being the dominant mode for the domestic portion of the trip (64 percent). Relatively recent legislation calls for a multimodal representation of freight, one that facilitates transportation planning and asset management. However, traditional data collection and analysis has focused on single modes, preventing nationwide, multimodal representations of commodity flows. This report presents major commodity corridors within, to, and from the US by combining diverse sources and homogenizing data dimensions. The resulting information and commodity-specific maps help to contextualize waterborne navigation’s role within the broader multimodal transportation system. A key finding from the study indicates that the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana carried in 2019 more volume of freight annually than any other waterway, railroad, or highway segment in the US.

9 Jan 2026

Design of River Training Structures Using Isogeomorphic Constraints

Abstract: Prepared for the Mississippi River Geomorphology and Potamology program of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), through the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), this report introduces the concept of river control structure design using isogeomorphic constraints. The report defines isogeomorphic design methodology and demonstrates the application of the methodology using both analytic and numerical examples. The examples investigated herein are idealized, and application to real-world conditions (such as a dike-field) would be far more complex than what is demonstrated herein. This report merely serves as an introduction to a novel design paradigm that future studies can further investigate and refine with the ultimate objective of developing improved design guidance for USACE.