Results:
Tag: engineering with nature
Clear
  • Proceedings from the Great Lakes Engineering With Nature® Natural and Nature-Based Features Playbook Workshop

    Abstract: Communities in the Great Lakes are experiencing increased frequency in coastal flooding and erosion, causing property damage, putting lives at risk, and disrupting local economies. To address these challenges, two workshops were conducted (18 February 2025 [virtual] and 26–27 February 2025 [in person]) to collect knowledge, insights, and feedback from community members, policymakers, and Tribal Nations representatives to inform the development of the Engineering With Nature® Great Lakes Playbook. This report documents the workshop outcomes. The playbook is being designed to advance coastal resilience efforts in the region by identifying natural and nature-based features and multiple lines of resilience strategies that address unique natural hazard-related challenges of the Great Lakes. During the workshops, sustainable, resilient, adaptable, and cost-effective solutions were explored and construction and implementation feasibility were discussed along with regulatory and community challenges that are applicable to coastal risks and opportunities around the Great Lakes. By providing location-appropriate examples and clear guidance on how these nature-based and engineered solutions can be implemented, the playbook will enhance understanding of their potential performance in the region and build confidence among federal, state, and local agencies and Tribal Nations in planning, designing, and implementing these sustainable, adaptable, and cost-effective solutions.
  • Upscaling Nature-Based Solutions for Reducing Risk from Natural Hazards: From Process to Practice

    Abstract: Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer an innovative approach to reducing risks from natural hazards, aligning ecological processes with engineering objectives. However, successfully scaling NbS from site-specific interventions to systems-level applications remains a challenge. This paper examines an Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) case study to explore how NbS can be integrated into broader, systems-based engineering practices, demonstrating the transition from conceptual design to wide-scale, regional implementation. One such case study is Deer Island, located off the coast of Mississippi, USA, where EWN approaches stabilized shorelines and restored critical habitats. The project utilized natural sediment transport processes to rebuild marsh and dune systems, enhancing the island’s resilience to storm surges and erosion. Through careful integration of natural and engineered systems, Deer Island serves as a model for how NbS can mitigate risks at both local and regional scales, increasing the ability to recover from a natural disaster and overall ecological health. In particular, the case study highlights the benefit of designing for multiple integrated ecosystem components to deliver a diverse array of ecological functions, goods, and services. The paper further underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, highlighting the role of landscape architects in creating multifunctional designs that incorporate natural features and processes. These designs enhance ecosystem services while addressing societal needs, providing a blueprint for how when combined landscape architecture, science, and engineering can synergize in NbS projects. By synthesizing lessons from the EWN and emphasizing the need for cross-sector collaboration, this paper outlines pathways to scale NbS from localized efforts to comprehensive strategies that reduce coastal storm risk.
  • San Francisco District planning team applies nature-based solutions to Roi-Namur recovery efforts

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District’s knowledge of and push for Engineering with Nature principles and designs reached a new high as the district’s EWN expertise jumped an ocean all the way to Roi-Namur, the second largest island of the Kwajalein Atoll in the western central Pacific Ocean. It’s part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and it lies 2,100 nautical miles southwest of Honolulu and about 4,200 nautical miles southwest of San Francisco. On Oct. 11, a San Francisco District project development team submitted its preliminary EWN and non-EWN design plans to protect facilities against large waves to the USACE Honolulu District to present to the U.S. Army Garrison – Kwajalein Atoll and U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
  • Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis model version 8.0 released

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) recently announced the release of version 8.0 of the Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA) model.
  • From waste to resource

    A new project from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is helping meet ambitious goals for beneficially using the material it dredges by exploring how 3D printers can transform the dredged sediment into a building block for ecosystem restoration.
  • Engineering With Nature: An Atlas, Volume 3 Showcases Global Innovation and Collaboration in Nature-Based Solutions

    The newest edition of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering With Nature (EWN) Atlas series, Volume 3, will be released May 22, 2024. Building on the success of its predecessors, Volume 3 continues to spotlight the remarkable projects and initiatives harnessing the power of nature-based solutions (NBS) around the world.
  • Shallow water strategic placement pilot project kicks off in San Francisco Bay

    A steady stream of scows began arriving the morning of Dec. 6 just off the coast of Eden Landing, a 6,400-acre ecological reserve located along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, depositing nutrient-rich dredge material in the shallow Bay waters about one mile from its tidal marshes. The daily operation, which wrapped up Dec. 31, is part of a $3.6 million shallow water strategic placement pilot project spearheaded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District, California State Coastal Conservancy (non-federal project proponent), and monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey. Sediment has a very important role to play in preparing the Bay Area for sea level rise, storm surge and other impacts of climate change. Beneficially using dredged sediment to help the bay's wetlands accrete is an effective and cost-efficient way to maintain these habitats that sustain wildlife and provide critical flood defenses.
  • Getting to Yes with EWN Interactive Training

    Learning to get to “Yes,” was one of the goals of San Francisco District’s new Engineering With Nature Interactive Training that 20 personnel from a wide range of interdisciplinary fields participated in Oct. 18 at the District’s headquarters. The participants invested three hours of their day in a conference room divided into project development teams working through a scenario provided by the EWN Planning Team, led by Coastal Engineer Tiffany Cheng, PE.
  • USACE fishes for data to help save Green Sturgeon

    As cool Autumn air flows along the winding Sacramento River, thousands of sleek and graceful North
  • Natural features to play crucial role in building a more resilient Great Lakes coastline

    Communities along the Great Lakes coastline are experiencing increased frequency in coastal flooding and erosion, causing property damage, putting lives at risk, and disrupting local economies. With the support of the Engineering With Nature® (EWN) program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) can provide technical direction and guidance to USACE Districts around the nation to look at innovative ways of improving coastal resilience.