14 May 2024

Snow-Impacted National Inventory of Dams by GAGESII Watershed

Abstract: This Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) Technical Note describes the development of a set of locations within the contiguous United States (CONUS) where snowmelt is a component of the annual streamflow. The locations are selected from the US Geological Survey (USGS) Geospatial Attributes of Gages for Evaluating Streamflow II (GAGESII) and National Inventory of Dams (NID) data sets. The 30-year normal snow regimes were used to identify all GAGESII watersheds that have any of the basin delineated as transitional (rain/snow), snow dominated, or perennial snow zones. NID dams that are within snow affected GAGESII watersheds are included in the data set. The purpose of this ERDC Technical Note is to describe the development of a comprehensive data set of CONUS GAGESII and dam infrastructure affected by snow changing regimes.

7 May 2024

Spherical Shock Waveform Reconstruction by Heterodyne Interferometry

Abstract: The indirect measurement of shock waveforms by acousto-optic sensing requires a method to reconstruct the field from the projected data. Under the assumption of spherical symmetry, one approach is to reconstruct the field by the Abel inversion integral transform. When the acousto-optic sensing modality measures the change in optical phase difference time derivative, as for a heterodyne Mach–Zehnder interferometer, e.g., a laser Doppler vibrometer, the reconstructed field is the fluctuating refractive index time derivative. A technique is derived that reconstructs the fluctuating index directly by assuming plane wave propagation local to a probe beam. With synthetic data, this approach is compared to the Abel inversion integral transform and then applied to experimental data of laser-induced shockwaves. Time waveforms are reconstructed with greater accuracy except for the tail of the waveform that maps spatially to positions near a virtual origin. Furthermore, direct reconstruction of the fluctuating index field eliminates the required time integration and results in more accurate shock waveform peak values, rise times, and positive phase duration.

2 Feb 2024

The Influence of Mesoscale Atmospheric Convection on Local Infrasound Propagation

Abstract: Infrasound—that is, acoustic waves with frequencies below the threshold of human hearing—has historically been used to detect and locate distant explosive events over global ranges (≥1,000 km). Simulations over these ranges have traditionally relied on large-scale, synoptic meteorological information. However, infrasound propagation over shorter, local ranges (0–100 km) may be affected by smaller, mesoscale meteorological features. To identify the effects of these mesoscale meteorological features on local infrasound propagation, simulations were conducted using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) meteorological model to approximate the meteorological conditions associated with a series of historical, small-scale explosive test events that occurred at the Big Black Test Site in Bovina, Mississippi. These meteorological conditions were then incorporated into a full-wave acoustic model to generate meteorology-informed predictions of infrasound propagation. A series of WRF simulations was conducted with varying degrees of horizontal resolution—1, 3, and 15 km—to investigate the spatial sensitivity of these infrasound predictions. The results illustrate that convective precipitation events demonstrate potentially observable effects on local infrasound propagation due to strong, heterogeneous gradients in temperature and wind associated with the convective events themselves. Therefore, to accurately predict infrasound propagation on local scales, it may be necessary to use convection-permitting meteorological models with a horizontal resolution ≤4 km at locations and times that support mesoscale convective activity.

22 Jan 2024

Amphibious Uncrewed Ground Vehicle for Coastal Surfzone Survey

Abstract: The capability of a commercial off-the-shelf amphibious bottom crawling robot is explored for surveying seamless topography and bathymetry across the beachface, surfzone, and very nearshore. A real-time-kinematic (RTK) antenna on a mast was added to the robotic platform, a Bayonet-350 (previously the C2i SeaOx). Data collected from the robot were compared with those collected by the Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy (CRAB) and the Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo (LARC), unique amphibious vessels capable of collecting seamless topography and bathymetry in use for decades at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Field Research Facility (FRF). Data were compared on five different days in a range of wave conditions (Hs < 1 m in 8-m depth) resulting in a root-mean square difference of 8.7 cm and bias of 2 cm for 24 different cross-shore profile comparisons. Additionally, a repeatability test was performed to assess measurement uncertainty. The repeatability test indicated a total vertical uncertainty (TVU) of 5.8 cm, with the highest spatial error at the shoreline.

10 Oct 2023

Spatial Screening for Environmental Pool Management Opportunities

Abstract: US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reservoir projects significantly alter river ecosystem structure and function. Each project adheres to a defined set of operating rules to achieve primary objectives, which typically include flood risk management, hydropower, or navigation along with ancillary objectives for drinking water/irrigation, recreation, and natural resources management. Environmental flows (E-Flows) planning under the Sustainable Rivers Program has demonstrated new opportunities for environmental pool management (EPM; Theiling et al. 2021a, 2021b) that have no negative impact on other reservoir functions. In some locations, water level drivers can be managed to improve ecological outcomes, like wetlands, waterbirds, reptiles, and water quality, by altering the magnitude, timing, frequency, and duration of pool level changes that affect riparian and shoreline plant communities. Reservoirs with large delta areas may provide particularly important wetland or riparian habitat management along avian migratory pathways or in wildlife conservation regions (Johnson 2002). These large deltas can be identified and characterized using available satellite imagery, which along with water level habitat drivers available in hydrology databases, can be used to identify USACE reservoirs with good potential for EPM. A spatial analysis of USACE reservoirs capable to support EPM can be developed utilizing estimates of water occurrence, transition, and seasonality as well as surface elevation data derived from satellite imagery to assess geomorphology drivers. USACE water management records can be used to assess wetland drivers. Nationwide screening will be broken down into ecoregions to establish the anticipated geographic range of variation for wetland and riparian habitat drivers. Southwestern US reservoirs, for example, will have much different hydrology and fauna than Midwest and Eastern US reservoirs.

29 Sep 2023

Low Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C) Payload for Autonomous Navigation and Mapping on an Unmanned Ground Vehicle

Abstract: Autonomous navigation and unknown environment exploration with an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is extremely challenging. This report investigates a mapping and exploration solution utilizing low size, weight, power, and cost payloads. The platform presented here leverages simultaneous localization and mapping to efficiently explore unknown areas by finding navigable routes. The solution utilizes a diverse sensor payload that includes wheel encoders, 3D lidar, and red-green-blue and depth cameras. The main goal of this effort is to leverage path planning and navigation for mapping and exploration with a UGV to produce an accurate 3D map. The solution provided also leverages the Robot Operating System

26 Sep 2023

During Nearshore Event Vegetation Gradation (DUNEVEG): Geospatial Tools for Automating Remote Vegetation Extraction

Abstract: Monitoring and modeling of coastal vegetation and ecosystems are major challenges, especially when considering environmental response to hazards, disturbances, and management activities. Remote sensing applications can provide alternatives and complementary approaches to the often costly and laborious field-based collection methods traditionally used for coastal ecosystem monitoring. New and improved sensors and data analysis techniques have become available, making remote sensing applications attractive for evaluation and potential use in monitoring coastal vegetation properties and ecosystem conditions and changes. This study involves the extraction of vegetation metrics from airborne lidar and hyperspectral imagery (HSI) collected by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Coastal Mapping Program (NCMP) to quantify coastal dune vegetation characteristics. A custom geoprocessing toolbox and associated suite of tools were developed to allow inputs of common NCMP lidar and imagery products to help automate the workflow for extracting prioritized dune vegetation metrics in an efficient and repeatable way. This study advances existing coastal ecosystem knowledge and remote sensing techniques by developing new methodologies to classify, quantify, and estimate critical coastal vegetation metrics which will ultimately improve future estimates and predictions of nearshore dynamics and impacts from disturbance events.

12 Sep 2023

UGV SLAM Payload for Low-Visibility Environments

Abstract: Herein, we explore using a low size, weight, power, and cost unmanned ground vehicle payload designed specifically for low-visibility environments. The proposed payload simultaneously localizes and maps in GPS-denied environments via waypoint navigation. This solution utilizes a diverse sensor payload that includes wheel encoders, inertial measurement unit, 3D lidar, 3D ultrasonic sensors, and thermal cameras. Furthermore, the resulting 3D point cloud was compared against a survey-grade lidar.

28 Aug 2023

Improving Spatial and Temporal Monitoring of Dredging Operations Incorporating Unmanned Technologies

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for maintaining safe and navigable waterways through the periodic dredging of shoaled sediment from federal navigation channels. While dredging, a portion of the bottom sediments become resuspended creating a sediment plume near the dredging operation. Suspension of sediments during dredging and dredged sediment disposal operations continues to be a primary concern of regulatory agencies charged with the protection of environmental resources. Consequently, almost all dredging projects incorporate some level of regulatory compliance monitoring dedicated to measuring sediment resuspension. For numerous reasons the conventional approach using manned surface vessels to perform compliance monitoring is frequently ineffective in both adaptively managing dredging projects and ensuring true environmental protection. Advancements in unmanned platforms and payload technologies offer new and potentially more robust alternatives to conventional platforms. In this study, the use of unmanned aerial system (UAS) and weather balloon mounted camera imagery was demonstrated, and the use of an unmanned surface vessel (USV) to monitor turbidity in navigation channels and near a dredging operation. The imagery from the UAS and weather balloon were compared to in-situ turbidity measurements in a turbid distributary channel and near a dredging operation, while the USV was used to learn more about in-situ turbidity associated with passing vessels in a navigation channel. The results of the demonstrations show the unmanned technology bundled with off-the-shelf payloads can help to produce evidence-based information through easily interpreted aerial imagery and in situ measurements which can help to inform and manage water quality in areas where sediment plumes are an environmental concern.

7 Aug 2023

Soil-Moisture Estimation of Root Zone through Vegetation-Index-Based Evapotranspiration-Fraction and Soil-Properties (SERVES) User’s Manual Version 1.0

Purpose: The purpose of this user’s guide is to provide background methods and implementation guidance on the Soil-moisture Estimation of Root Zone through Vegetation-Index-Based Evapotranspiration-Fraction and Soil-Properties (SERVES) model (Pradhan 2019).