18 Jun 2021

Using simulation tools for operational readiness in maritime and littoral operations

Operational readiness is a term used throughout the six branches of the U.S. military. The ability of armed forces to conduct the full range of military operations, regardless of a posed threat, is contingent upon how well units are manned, equipped, trained and led. To increase readiness, researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) have partnered with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps on a joint venture to use ship simulation and numerical models in the planning of amphibious assaults and littoral operations.

4 Jun 2021

USACE, James Madison University hold SandSnap event

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and James Madison University invite the public to become citizen scientists at a SandSnap event at the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center June 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT.

20 May 2021

Zimmerman joins the ERDC’s Coastal, Hydraulics Laboratory

Julia Zimmerman has joined the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory’s River and Estuarine Engineering Branch at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).

20 May 2021

Cecil joins the ERDC’s Coastal, Hydraulics Laboratory

Dr. Orie Cecil has joined the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory’s Hydrologic Systems Branch at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).

9 Apr 2021

ERDC researchers commission full-size, semi-autonomous research vessel

Making its way through the murky waters and swift current of the Mississippi River at the Vicksburg riverfront, the Research Vessel Martin looks like any other U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) survey boat. However, there is one major difference. The inland survey vessel has been converted into a semi-autonomous craft, making it the first of its kind for the organization.

8 Apr 2021

ERDC’s Field Research Facility holds groundbreaking ceremony for new annex

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new annex building at its Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, April 6, 2021. ​The $4.3-million annex will consist of laboratory and research administrative spaces to support the organization’s expanded military research mission. In collaboration with the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence, the Field Research Facility develops methods to protect forces, conduct forcible and early entry and transition rapidly to offensive operations.

29 Mar 2021

ERDC’s Field Research Facility to hold groundbreaking ceremony for new annex

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a new annex building at its Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, April 6 at 10 a.m. EDT.

15 Mar 2021

Evaluating the engineering benefits of Florida’s mangrove forests

Along the Florida coastline, forests of trees with a dense tangle of prop roots appear to be standing on stilts above the water. These trees, or mangroves, are not only magnificent to see, but are a key element in protecting coastlines and communities during coastal storms. Researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) have partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Jacksonville District and the U.S. Naval Academy to explore the engineering value of Florida’s mangrove forests.

29 Jan 2021

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.

29 Jan 2021

Mississippi River Adaptive Hydraulics Model Development and Evaluation, Commerce to New Madrid, Missouri, Reach

Abstract: A numerical, two-dimensional hydrodynamic model of the Mississippi River, from Thebes, IL, to Tiptonville, TN (128 miles/206 km), was developed using the Adaptive Hydraulics model. The study objective assessed current patterns and flow distributions and their possible impacts on navigation due to Birds Point New Madrid Floodway (BPNMF) operations and the Len Small (LS) levee break. The model was calibrated to stage, discharge, and velocity data for the 2011, 2015–2016, and 2017 floods. The calibrated model was used to run four scenarios, with the BPNMF and the LS breach alternately active/open and inactive/closed. Effects from the LS breach being open are increased river velocities upstream of the breach, decreased velocities from the breach to Thompson Landing, no effects on velocity below the confluence, and cross-current velocities greater than 3.28 ft/s (1.0 m/s) within 1186.8 ft (60 m) of the bankline revetment. Effects from BPNMF operation are increased river velocities above the confluence, decreased velocities from the BPNMF upper inflow crevasse (Upper Fuseplug) to New Madrid, cross-current velocities greater than 1.5 ft/s (0.5 m/s) only near the right bank where flow re-enters the river from the BPNMF lower inflow/outflow crevasse Number 2 (Lower Fuseplug) and St. Johns Bayou.