Engineering With Nature
The bottom friction dissipation in spectral wave models (SWAN, MIKE SW, STWAVE, etc.) is commonly frequency dependent, while the dissipation due to vegetation only partially accounts for the frequency of the various wave components. For the bottom friction term, the shorter waves may locally be in deep water conditions, while the longer waves are in […]
The USACE Savannah District conducted bimonthly bird surveys from 1994 to 2012 on six dredged material containment areas (DMCAs) located on the South Carolina side of the Savannah Harbor. The DMCAs are included in a long-term management strategy (LTMS) to enhance habitat for waterbirds. Some DMCAs received dredged material on a 3-year rotation, while other […]
This Engineering With Nature project will monitor the short-term evolution of the sand berm to provide measures of berm performance and potential impacts to the Chandeleur Islands. Project data and deliverables will increase sediment management scoping, screening, and operations efficiencies; and increase predictive and adaptive management capabilities. Project Contact Glenn Suir Products Fact Sheet
Research interest in the multiple significant roles large wood plays in fluvial ecosystems has exploded in past decades, but restoration practice has only recently begun to use it in quantity, and primarily only in the Pacific Northwest. A meeting between the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Environmental Laboratory (EL) and the Bureau of […]
Three recently completed system-level studies on the Middle Rio Grande (MRG) used EWN to achieve sustainable development of water resources in the desert. These studies balanced social, environmental, and economic considerations using traditional benefit metrics (i.e., habitat units) to support transparent decision-making. The MRG projects are being measured to capture the benefits of ecosystem goods […]
This EWN Action Project is currently developing a quantitative portfolio approach based on the potential beneficial uses of dredged material in a single season of dredging. Developing a portfolio requires additional research into resulting benefits, including the amount of enhancement as a function of the material properties and the benefits achieved from the project. These […]
The Ashtabula breakwater tern nesting demonstration project assesses whether suitable habitat can be created on the harbor breakwater by making simple, low cost modifications to the concrete blocks used to repair the breakwater. Design includes incorporation of suitable nesting substrate (gravel) and predator deterrence features. If the demonstration is successful, it will provide a means […]
The Sustainable Design Manual describes how to utilize plant communities within the built environment and to create sustainable landscapes. This design manual is important because it promotes our native plant communities, which in turn supports native fauna. Many plant communities exist on USACE lands and will provide stability in designed landscape elements that are part […]
Strategic placement of dredged sediment is the practice of cost-effectively placing sediment at dispersive sites so that natural forces can transport the sediment toward desired receptors. The sediment is thus maintained beneficially in the regional system. The objective of this research effort is to provide guidance for strategic placement options that benefit navigation, flood risk […]
This EWN Action Project monitors two restoration sites in San Francisco Bay to evaluate project performance including reduction in wave energy, circulation, sedimentation, channel morphology, and vegetative cover as a function of berm morphology. The results will be used to develop guidelines and best practices in the design of berms intended to speed accretion and […]