ERDC’s Coastal and Hydraulics Lab recently hosted a team from Oregon State University to provide design guidance for engineers in the field who are creating composite beaches with dynamic revetments for coastal protection.

In today’s ever-changing world, technology is advancing at lightning speed. For the U.S. Army that means constantly evolving vehicles, weapons and systems. With that in mind, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has partnered with the U.S. Army Program Executive Office Combat Support & Combat Service Support’s Project Manager Bridging to test high military load capacity vehicle weight limits of the Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB).

During bouts of severe weather, including tropical storms and hurricanes, coastal dune systems provide crucial protection for coastal communities, but these dunes can be torn apart by high winds and strong surf. The very surf that at times causes damage is also delivering natural materials that may prove to be the key to a more resilient dune system. Researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, along with partners at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District and The University of Southern Mississippi, are developing methods to use this natural material – known as wrack – to build coastal dunes crucial to protecting the coastline during hazardous weather events like hurricanes. As part of the USACE Regional Sediment Management Program, researchers are conducting a field study in which wrack that washes up on the beach is collected and placed on existing dunes to incrementally increase dune stability. Harness the Power of ERDC at ERDCInfo@usace.army.mil

Researchers and engineers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) partner with the Wetlands Institute at the Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab to discover new ways of protecting bird habitats that reside in estuaries. The laboratory team is attempting to leverage a form of beneficial use dredging to rehabilitate marsh sediment that was previously uninhabitable to bird species. Dave Perkey, the deputy director of the Regional Sediment Management Program, and Dr. Jarrell Smith, a research hydraulics engineer from the CHL, discuss recent research efforts while working in New Jersey in spring 2021.

Researchers and engineers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory partner with the Wetlands Institute at the Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab to investigate new methods of beneficial use dredging. The researchers are rehabilitating sediment onto low lying marshes and creating berms to protect shorelines. The team has installed observation platforms with instruments that will collect data continuously to provide insight into the effectiveness of the technique. Dave Perkey, the deputy director of the Regional Sediment Management Program, and Dr. Jarrell Smith, a research hydraulics engineer from the CHL, discuss recent research efforts while working in New Jersey in spring 2021.

Since its creation following the Great Flood of 1927, the Engineer Research and Development Center and its forerunner have constructed thousands of physical models to support projects across our nation in streams, rivers, inlets, estuaries and coasts. ERDC has the deep expertise and unique facilities to do robust physical modeling of coastal and hydraulic structures, including two three-dimensional wave generators and three two-dimensional wave flumes. It also combines its vast physical modeling capabilities with high-tech numerical modeling to improve navigation, optimize the design of structures, understand the response and resiliency of natural features, and solve some of the toughest civil works and military operational challenges facing our nation today. ERDC’s models are value-added, saving projects millions of dollars by improving designs and saving them from failure.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its Engineer Research and Development Center are currently conducting R&D to operationalize technology that separates sand from mud while it’s being transported in the discharge pipeline of an operating hydraulic dredge. The simple placement method from the past is being evaluated not only to establish separation performance metrics, but it is also being further developed to enhance sediment distribution capabilities to optimize targeted placement while dredging. The enhanced placement method will eliminate, or significantly reduce, the subsequent re-handling of the sediment and often exorbitant associated costs of that process. These improvements will be based on the two key Engineering With Nature® elements: using science and engineering to produce operational efficiencies, and using natural process to achieve maximum benefit. For more information, go to www.engineeringwithnature.org

Researchers at ERDC’s Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, have kept watch on the coast for more than 40 years, creating a vibrant research hub that remains at the forefront of coastal science and engineering today. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, the internationally renowned coastal observatory serves as a natural lab and test bed for field instrumentation and numerical models. Its ever-expanding and evolving array of sensors continuously measures waves, currents and morphology, providing foundational datasets that have been used in more than 1,000 scientific publications to date. The FRF supports ERDC’s civil and military missions by advancing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ knowledge of the coastal environment through field observation, data analysis, numerical exploration, and technology development. If it is coastal research, the FRF is one of the first places people are going for the data, tools and expertise needed to solve their complex challenges.

The Coastal Engineering Research Board has set the standards for the coastal engineering community throughout the past century. With its membership including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leaders and prominent civilians internationally recognized in the coastal engineering field, the seven-member board advises the Corps’ commander on coastal engineering and science. Throughout its history, CERB has been instrumental in shaping new innovations and approaches, including the establishment of a Field Research Facility along the North Carolina coast, development of airborne LIDAR bathymetry, and the promotion of a new approach to manage systems through risk reduction. Today, CERB continues to be an internationally renowned voice whose recommendations will leave resounding impacts for generations to come.

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is proud to have a long history of discovering, developing and delivering new ways to protect our environment. Today, ERDC continues to produce world-class research to support the Corps of Engineers’ Environmental Operating Principles. That includes methods to remove blue-green algae from large bodies of water and break down its toxins into useful products like biofuels and fertilizer. ERDC is leading a collaborative effort to address the legacy issues of PFAS, and is providing more environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies for Army installations. It is helping the Corps beneficially use dredged sediment to nourish wetlands, and is helping local governments prepare for the flood threat that follows destructive wildfires. ERDC’s commitment to improving and sustaining the environment remains steadfast.

Charged with operating more than 13,000 miles of coastal navigation channels, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs robust decision-support technologies to better manage its vast portfolio. ERDC’s Coastal Inlets Research Program infuses these technologies into the hands of practitioners to ensure mission success. The program develops a robust suite of engineering technology focused on Coastal Modeling, Inlet Engineering, Inlet Geomorphic Evolution and Coastal Navigation Portfolio Management. Its tools support the Corps of Engineers from engineers and scientists working at the project scale to regional- and national-level business line managers overseeing the Navigation Operations and Maintenance Program. Its modeling techniques accelerate the prediction of processes and cut costs by several orders of magnitude.

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Flood and Coastal System Research and Development Program develops an amphibious robotic platform for dam inspections.

Wetlands are a valuable natural feature that protect coastlines, and are in danger of disappearing. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is beneficially using dredged sediment to nourish existing wetlands, but there is a limited understanding of the hydrodynamics in submerged canopies, such as underwater vegetation, commonly found nearby. To address that knowledge gap, ERDC researchers conducted a unique two-phase experiment using more than 14,000 wooden dowels to create a 73-foot long submerged canopy in a wave flume. They measured the hydrodynamics at numerous locations and placed sediment adjacent to the canopy to quantify its transport rate and direction. Their research will ultimately lead to healthier wetlands and increased protection along our coasts.

In today's multi-domain operations environment, the Warfighter must take a novel approach to training when incorporating diverse systems. ERDC researchers are helping them meet that challenge through integrated computer simulation. Harness the Power of ERDC at ERDCInfo@usace.army.mil