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  • Inaugural ERDC Day held at Alcorn State University

    Recently, Alcorn State University (ASU) hosted a team of personnel from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Mississippi, for a career day. The event—known as ERDC Day— was the first of its kind to be held on the ASU campus in Lorman, Mississippi.

  • MKARNS Nav Notice SWL 22-07 Lock 7 Tow Haulage Out of Service, Starting 7 Mar

    MKARNS - Tow haulage equipment at Murray Lock (No. 7) NM 125.4 will be out of service for maintenance at 8:30 a.m. on Mar 7.

  • Modernizing Environmental Signature Physics for Target Detection—Phase 3

    Abstract: The present effort (Phase 3) builds on our previously published prior efforts (Phases 1 and 2), which examined methods of determining the probability of detection and false alarm rates using thermal infrared for buried object detection. Environmental phenomenological effects are often represented in weather forecasts in a relatively coarse, hourly resolution, which introduces concerns such as exclusion or misrepresentation of ephemera or lags in timing when using this data as an input for the Army’s Tactical Assault Kit software system. Additionally, the direct application of observed temperature data with weather model data may not be the best approach because metadata associated with the observations are not included. As a result, there is a need to explore mathematical methods such as Bayesian statistics to incorporate observations into models. To better address this concern, the initial analysis in Phase 2 data is expanded in this report to include (1) multivariate analyses for detecting objects in soil, (2) a moving box analysis of object visibility with alternative methods for converting FLIR radiance values to thermal temperature values, (3) a calibrated thermal model of soil temperature using thermal IR imagery, and (4) a simple classifier method for automating buried object detection.

  • Wabash and Ohio River Confluence Hydraulic and Sediment Transport Model Investigation: A Report for US Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District

    Abstract: Avulsions of the Wabash River in 2008 through 2011 at its confluence with the Ohio River resulted in significant shoaling in the Ohio River. This caused a re-alignment of the navigation channel and the need for frequent dredging. A two-dimensional numerical hydrodynamic model, Adaptive Hydraulics (AdH), was developed to simulate base (existing) conditions and then altered to simulate multiple alternative scenarios to address these sediment issues. The study was conducted in two phases, Phase 1 in 2013 – 2015 and Phase 2 in 2018 – 2020. Field data were collected and consisted of multi-beam bathymetric elevations, bed sediment samples, suspended sediment samples, and discharge and velocity measurements. The model hydrodynamic and sediment transport computations adequately replicated the water surface slope, flow splits, bed sediment gradations, and suspended sediment concentrations when compared with field data. Thus, it was shown to be dependable as a predictive tool. The alternative that produced the most desirable results included a combination of three level-crested emergent dikes on Wabash Island and four submerged dikes on the Illinois shore with a level crest from the bank to the tip of the dike. The selected alternative produced an improved sailing line while maintaining authorized channel depths.

  • Engineering With Nature Website User Guide

    Abstract: The Engineering With Nature (EWN) program is a high-profile effort that aims to deliver cost-effective, broadly beneficial solutions to natural re-source and sustainability challenges across the nation. A portion of this is accomplished through the use of the EWN website, which features news, podcasts, articles, and more. The content on the EWN website serves to educate and inform hundreds of visitors monthly. This content is generated and managed by EWN team members with web development experience, as it requires manually editing the website HTML and staging changes on a development server. With the EWN website 2.0, a new website framework (WordPress) has been implemented that will save content managers time and effort by providing a front-end user interface (UI) to enable the uploading, staging, and approval of new content for the website, along with a visual refresh to herald the impending release of season 2 of the EWN Podcast. This document’s purpose is to demonstrate the functionality of the new EWN website and provide instructional material for those managing content via the new EWN website.

  • Resource manager recognized for promoting water safety

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 2, 2022) – The resource manager at Lake Cumberland and Laurel River Lake in Kentucky is recognized for promoting water safety, spearheading public outreach activities and several marketing campaigns that reached more than two million people in eastern Kentucky.

  • St. Louis District’s Matthew Glover selected for ERDC University

    Researchers from five U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Districts have been selected for the 2022 session of the Engineer Research and Development Center University (ERDC-U). Geophysicist Matthew Glover of the St. Louis District was chosen as a participant for this detail program, now in its seventh year.

  • USACE Vicksburg District Kent Parrish Recognized for 38 years of Service

    Passion is a characteristic that drives improvement, ingenuity, inspiration, and influence. At the end of 2021, a very passionate U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District employee retired with over 38 years of federal service. Programs and Project Management Division’s (PPMD) Senior Project Manager Kent Parrish’s retirement brought closure to a long, successful, and memorable career. Kent served many roles throughout his time with USACE. He was known as a subject matter expert, teacher, mentor, and most importantly, a friend to countless people throughout the Vicksburg District region.

  • USACE Real Estate services play key role in U.S. missions in Europe

    Europe District’s Real Estate Division provides support directly to projects like the Via dei Martinelli widening effort in Italy, but their mission goes well beyond individual U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction projects. Their team actually provides key real estate support to all U.S. Army forces stationed and operating in the European theater.

  • High Efficiency Fuel Sleds for Polar Traverses

    Abstract: We describe here the evolution of lightweight, high-efficiency fuel sleds for Polar over-snow traverses. These sleds consist of flexible bladders strapped to sheets of high molecular weight polyethylene. They cost 1/6th, weigh 1/10th and triple the fuel delivered per towing tractor compared with steel sleds. An eight-tractor fleet has conducted three 3400-km roundtrips to South Pole with each travers delivering 320,000 kg of fuel while emitting <1% the pollutants, consuming 1/2 the fuel and saving $1.6 M compared with aircraft resupply. A two-tractor fleet in Greenland recently delivered 83,000 kg of fuel in bladder sleds to Summit with similar benefits. Performance monitoring has revealed that bladder-sled towing resistance is largely governed by sliding friction, which can start high and drop in half over the first 30 min of travel. Frictional heating probably produces a thin water layer that lubricates the sled–snow interface. Consequently, towing resistance depends on the thermal budget of the sled. For example, black fuel bladders increase solar gain and thus decrease sled resistance; data suggest they could double again the fuel delivered per tractor. The outstanding efficiency and low cost of these sleds has transformed fuel delivery to Polar research stations.