Engineering With Nature
Blue carbon is carbon captured in the world’s ocean and coastal systems. Carbon cycling from the ocean or earth and into the atmosphere provides the foundation for all ecological functions in both natural and engineered systems, and carbon dynamics are of increasing interest globally because they impact climate change patterns. This project will address knowledge […]
Urban landscapes, watersheds, and waterfronts increasingly suffer from loss of valuable aquatic and terrestrial habitat, reduced water quality, and increased flooding. This project will show how EWN® principles can be applied to the challenges of urban environments by consolidating learning gained from previous EWN R&D efforts and application by USACE Districts, the USEPA, and others. […]
There is a great interest to restore some of the LA River back to a more natural form. However, with so many conflicting interests in the future of the LA River, a new method to review designs and quickly iterate through potential ideas is needed. This project will demonstrate how augmented or virtual reality can […]
The wide range of prospective benefits that can be achieved by incorporating elements of EWN cannot currently be accounted for in USACE planning practices. In particular, underutilization of Natural and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) is a missed opportunity for the agency to mainstream resilience thinking throughout its practices. Improving the business case for NNBF and other […]
A number of field investigations have documented wave and surge attenuation by coastal mangrove ecosystems. These studies generally focus on low-energy environments or rely on post hoc observation studies following storms, leading to limited measured data supporting the flood risk reduction benefits of mangroves during extreme events. Due to the unpredictable nature of storm development […]
USACE Districts require a method for predicting the impact that Engineering With Nature (EWN) features may have on the coastal resiliency of communities, quantifying changes to predicted values of storm surge, inundation, and wave attenuation for various storm events (i.e. 1/100, or 1/1000) if these features were implemented. Presently, numerical modeling of EWN features requires […]
Many wetlands are subsiding due, in part, to reduced mineral sediment input. Navigation dredged sediment that is not beach quality (>15% fines) has been identified as a resource that can support wetland resilience. Numerous wetlands have been constructed using dredged sediment. However, these construction projects are infrequent, costly, and considered targets of opportunity where dredge […]
This project seeks to overcome historical practices of dredged sediment management and increase frequency that island systems are restored or created. In doing so, this will offer increased opportunities to advance “triple win” outcomes (economic, social and environment benefits) derived from island restoration and/or creation opportunities. Ultimately, this research task will establish criteria and methods […]
Strategic placement of dredged material in the nearshore as a beneficial use technique is a common practice for Operations & Maintenance (O&M) dredging within the Corps of Engineers. The nearshore placement design concept has been recognized to follow the principles of Engineering with Nature (EWN) and Regional Sediment Management (RSM) by allowing the waves and […]
This project is focused on the identification of USACE infrastructure that is scheduled (or anticipated to be scheduled) for repair or replacement. USACE coastal navigation assets include: 1,067 navigation projects, 19 lock chambers, 13,000 miles of channels, 929 navigation structures, and 844 bridges. USACE inland navigation assets include: 27 inland river systems, 207 lock chambers […]