Strategic planting and nutrient amendments to accelerate the revegetation of rapidly retreating coastal dunes
Potential Engineering With Nature® Features to be Incorporated at Woodtick Peninsula
Woodtick Peninsula is a barrier peninsula in western Lake Erie where restoration activities are being planned to combat erosion of the peninsula wetlands through placement of dredged material. As part of the restoration effort, design of an artificial reef is currently underway to function as a breakwater, preventing erosion of the fine-grained material being hydraulically […]
Evaluating permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC)’s potential for differentiating carbon pools in wetland soils
“This research quantified POXC in six diverse wetland soils that differed greatly in organic matter content and spanned both freshwater and saltwater habitats, then evaluated the relationship between POXC and basic soil C properties, microbial indicators, and physical and chemical fractionation metrics. Results showed POXC averaged ~37 times greater in wetlands than upland agricultural soils, […]
Advancing Lake Red Rock Reservoir Management Practices to Maximize Ecological Benefits: From Planning to Monitoring
A July 2024 article in Wetland Science & Practice, vol. 42, is now available. It focuses on two flood control dams, Saylorville Lake and Lake Red Rock, situated on the Des Moines River above and below Des Moines, Iowa. These dams support extensive wetlands and are managed for multiple uses including flood risk management, low […]
Site Characterization of a Restored Coastal Dune and Beach
Coastal beach and dune ecosystems are critically important for shoreline protection and significant resources have been allocated to their conservation. Dune vegetation is known to modify site response to wind, waves, and storms, but little focus has been given to understanding how belowground sediment structures enhance dune stability. A first step in addressing this knowledge […]
USACE Engineering With Nature Proving Grounds: A Review of the Process, Achievements, and Lessons Learned
The Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC), part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), has been championing a pioneering program called the Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) initiative, which aims to promote the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) for coastal and fluvial flood risk management. As part of the EWN program, ERDC initiated a […]
Beneficial Use of Dredged Material in the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway: Approaching the Regulatory Process
Following the Chief of Engineer’s January 2023 goal to expand the beneficial use of dredged material (BUDM), the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) strives to apply new and creative ways to increase utilization of dredged materials from a historic 30%–40% to 70% by 2030. As USACE Savannah District (SAS) increases BUDM efforts, a critical […]
Evidence on the ecological and physical effects of built structures in shallow, tropical coral reefs: a systematic map
Shallow, tropical coral reefs face compounding threats from climate change, habitat degradation due to coastal development and pollution, impacts from storms and sea-level rise, and pulse disturbances like blast fishing, mining, dredging, and ship groundings that reduce reef height and complexity. One approach toward restoring coral reef physical structure from such impacts is deploying built […]
Financing natural infrastructure : the Elizabeth River Project, Chesapeake Bay, VA
Knowledge gaps surrounding natural infrastructure (NI) life cycles and performance thwart widespread implementation of NI in civil works projects. In particular, information about funding or financing the scoping, design, construction, monitoring, and adaptive management of NI projects constitutes a key need as there is no standard process for securing funds. This technical note is part […]
Embracing biodiversity on engineered coastal infrastructure through structured decision-making and Engineering With Nature®
Extreme weather variation, natural disasters, and anthropogenic actions negatively impact coastal communities through flooding and erosion. To safeguard coastal settlements, shorelines are frequently reinforced with seawalls and bulkheads. Hardened shorelines, however, result in biodiversity loss and environmental deterioration. The creation of sustainable solutions that engineer with nature is required to lessen natural and anthropogenic pressures. […]
