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  • Coherent Marine X-Band Radar Deployment during DUNEX

    Abstract: A marine X-band radar system, developed by Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon (Hereon) was deployed within view of the nearshore at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Field Research Facility (FRF), in Duck, North Carolina, from October 2021 to August 2022. The radar deployment was a collaboration among researchers at the FRF, Hereon, and the University of Miami and was initiated as part of the During Nearshore Event Experiment (DUNEX), a large multi-institutional field experiment funded by the US Coastal Research Program. The Hereon radar successfully collected data during the main DUNEX field campaign (approximately October 2021) and continued to collect nearly continuously until August 2022. To facilitate use of Hereon radar data, this document describes the deployment, provides background and context, and presents metadata. Within, we describe in detail the Hereon radar system, the locations of two different installations, the time periods covered, sampling modes, environmental conditions and notable events, example data products, and potential pathways for future use of the data.
  • Evaluating Topographic Reconstruction Accuracy of Planet Lab’s Stereo Satellite Imagery

    Abstract: The goal of this Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) is to document initial results to derive topography on the beachface in the northern Outer Banks, North Carolina, utilizing Planet Labs’ SkySat stereo panchromatic imagery processed in Agisoft Metashape. This technical note will provide an initial evaluation into whether Planet Lab’s SkySat imagery is a suitable image source for satellite Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithms as well as whether these data should be explored as a federal beach project monitoring tool. Depending on required accuracy, these data have the potential to aid coastal scientists, managers, and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) engineers in understanding the now-state of their coastlines and employ cost-effective adaptive management techniques.
  • Analysis of Beach Cusp Formation and Evolution Using High-Frequency 3D Lidar Scans

    Abstract: Beach cusp characteristics were explored using 15 months of 3D lidar scans collected hourly at the Duck, NC, Field Research Facility. Fourier analyses performed on lidar-derived beach elevation contours generated spatial cusp spectra. Active cusp events identified from the location and magnitude of each spectrum’s peak were used to evaluate conditions during cusp formation and evolution. Cusps primarily developed during normally-incident, long-period, low-energy wave conditions with low frequency spread and reflective beach conditions. Often, however, persistent upper-beach cusps lasted days to months and dynamic lower-beach cusps evolved over individual tidal cycles. At times, beaches exhibiting multiple cusp systems reverted to a single cusp system extending the entire beach when the high-tide waterline reached the upper-beach cusps, with the location and spacing of the resulting lower-beach cusps controlled by the upper-beach cusps. This is consistent with a “morphological coupling” hypothesis that hydrodynamic-morphodynamic feedbacks between the swash and upper-beach cusps can form lower-beach cusps with a related wavelength as the tide falls. However, sometimes the high-tide waterline reaching the upper-beach cusps did not result in a unified beach state. This suggest that morphological coupling is often an important factor in controlling the development of new lower-beach cusps but cannot initiate cusp formation in hydrodynamic conditions outside those favorable for cusp activity.
  • Application of Coastal Resilience Metrics at Panama City Beach, Florida

    Abstract: This study, for the first time, combines the Coastal Engineering Resilience Index (CERI) and Buffer Width (BW) metrics to better understand the historic, current, and future resilience of the coastal system at Panama City Beach, Florida. After the construction of the US Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) project at Panama City Beach, the CERI resilience metric has increased up to 21.3%, while negative storm impacts in the same have been less than 8%. The frequency of nourishment efforts moving forward is justified by a 24.3% increase in the BW metric when comparing cases that are nourished frequently with cases that are not nourished frequently. Moreover, there is a 129.2% increase in the BW metric when comparing the frequently nourished cases with the cases that are nourished only on an emergency basis. While the CERI and BW metrics have both been considered previously, their combined application provides an understanding of a broader temporal view of how storm events, CSRM projects, and nourishments have played a part in the resilience of the system at Panama City Beach over the last two decades and how they may play a role in the next half century.
  • Engineering With Nature: An Atlas, Volume 3

    Abstract: Engineering With Nature: An Atlas, Volume 3 showcases EWN principles and practices “in action” through 58 projects from around the world. These exemplary projects demonstrate what it means to partner with nature to deliver engineering solutions with triple-win benefits. The collection of projects included were developed and constructed by a large number of government, private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and other organizations. Through the use of photographs and narrative descriptions, the EWN Atlas was developed to inspire interested readers and practitioners with the potential to engineer with nature.
  • Full-Scale Trafficability Testing of Prototype Submersible Matting Systems

    Abstract: This report describes the full-scale evaluation of prototype submersible matting systems (SUBMAT) at a test site at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Vicksburg, Mississippi, site. The SUBMAT prototypes were designed to bridge the gap between high and low tide at a beach interface to enable 24-hour operation at an expeditionary watercraft landing site. This phase of the SUBMAT prototype development was intended to determine prototype system durability by applying military vehicle loads representing a combat brigade insertion across a littoral zone. The two mat systems evaluated in this study were the PYRACELL Road Building System (PRBS) and a basaltic rebar mat system. The results of the study showed that the PRBS system was able to sustain 1,000 Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement, 350 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck, and over 150 M1A1 main battle tank passes without significant damage. The basaltic rebar mat failed early in the test and was removed from further consideration for the SUBMAT application. Observations and lessons learned from this phase of the prototype PRBS development will be used to improve the PRBS design and modify its installation procedures for improved efficiency.
  • The Use of Native Vegetation and Natural Materials in Shoreline Stabilization: A Case Study of Bubble Gum Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

    PURPOSE: This technical note is the fourth in a series about using native plant communities to achieve engineering and ecological purposes such as shoreline stabilization, structural enhancements, habitat creation, and ecosystem development. In this series, we demonstrate the utility of natural materials (specifically, native vegetation, oyster reefs, and coir logs) in living shoreline projects. Plant species and plant communities play critical roles in wave attenuation and sediment accretion in coastal areas. The application of vegetation in the coastal areas, especially on the East and Gulf Coasts, has focused heavily on the creation of living shorelines—serving both environmental and engineering purposes. This technical note documents the workshop conducted by the US Army Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) and hosted by the US Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Philadelphia District (NAP) and Center for the Inland Bays. The goals of this technical note are (1) to demonstrate the application of native plant communities, oyster shells, and coir (coconut) materials and their installation techniques along shorelines to the engineering community; (2) to demonstrate how targeted vegetation establishment can facilitate ecosystem development along shorelines to improve engineering and environmental outcomes; and (3) to provide native vegetation installation techniques for living shorelines projects’ purposes.
  • A Large-Scale Community Storm Processes Field Experiment: The During Nearshore Event Experiment (DUNEX) Overview Reference Report

    Abstract: The DUring Nearshore Event EXperiment (DUNEX) was a series of large-scale nearshore coastal field experiments focused on during-storm, nearshore coastal processes. The experiments were conducted on the North Carolina coast by a multidisciplinary group of over 30 research scientists from 2019 to 2021. The overarching goal of DUNEX was to collaboratively gather information to improve understanding of the interactions of coastal water levels, waves, and flows, beach and dune evolution, soil behavior, vegetation, and groundwater during major coastal storms that affect infrastructure, habitats, and communities. In the short term, these high-quality field measurements will lead to better understanding of during-storm processes, impacts and post-storm recovery and will enhance US academic coastal research programs. Longer-term, DUNEX data and outcomes will improve understanding and prediction of extreme event physical processes and impacts, validate coastal processes numerical models, and improve coastal resilience strategies and communication methods for coastal communities impacted by storms. This report focuses on the planning and preparation required to conduct a large-scale field experiment, the collaboration amongst researchers, and lessons learned. The value of a large-scale experiment focused on storm processes and impacts begins with the scientific gains from the data collected, which will be available and used for decades to come.
  • Engineering With Nature®: Supporting Mission Resilience and Infrastructure Value at Department of Defense Installations

    Abstract: This book illustrates some of the current challenges and hazards experienced by military installations, and the content highlights activities at seven military installations to achieve increased resilience through natural infrastructure.
  • Simulations of Shoreline Changes along the Delaware Coast

    Abstract: This technical report presents two applications of the GenCade model to simulate long-term shoreline evolution along the Delaware Coast driven by waves, inlet sediment transport, and longshore sediment transport. The simulations also include coastal protection practices such as periodic beach fills, post-storm nourishment, and sand bypassing. Two site-specific GenCade models were developed: one is for the coasts adjacent to the Indian River Inlet (IRI) and another is for Fenwick Island. In the first model, the sediment exchanges among the shoals and bars of the inlet were simulated by the Inlet Reservoir Model (IRM) in the GenCade. An inlet sediment transfer factor (γ) was derived from the IRM to quantify the capability of inlet sediment bypassing, measured by a rate of longshore sediments transferred across an inlet from the updrift side to the downdrift side. The second model for the Fenwick Island coast was validated by simulating an 11-year-long shoreline evolution driven by longshore sediment transport and periodic beach fills. Validation of the two models was achieved through evaluating statistical errors of simulations. The effects of the sand bypassing operation across the IRI and the beach fills in Fenwick Island were examined by comparing simulation results with and without those protection practices. Results of the study will benefit planning and management of coastal sediments at the sites.