Supporting Mission Resilience through Natural Infrastructure
The Military Engineer Many of the challenges and opportunities that the Department of Defense (DOD) will face throughout the balance of the 21st century relate to building and sustaining the infrastructure needed for mission resilience. Currently, DOD and its 3 million team members operate on more than 25-million-acres and nearly 5,000 sites in different regions, […]
Engineering With Nature + Landscape Architecture Tikigaq / Point Hope
This report outlines a series of research and analytical exercises conducted by our DRC team intended to assist the ongoing efforts to understand and characterize the cultural and ecological histories and processes in and around the city and village of Point Hope (Tikigaq) Alaska. Following ths analysis, our team assisted in the development and communication […]
Walter Marine and Atlantic Reefmaker Wave Attenuator
As part of a testing service agreement with Walter Marine and Atlantic Reefmaker, a 1:5.2 physical model of the Reefmaker Wave Attenuator was constructed and tested by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center to evaluate its influence on wave attenuation. The tested prototype wave periods ranged from 2.5 to 8 sec with prototype […]
Engineering With Nature: The Role of Mangroves in Coastal Protection
ERDC EWN Technical Note The purpose of this Engineering With Nature technical note (EWN TN) is to review previous studies of mangroves as a nature-based adaptation alternative for coastal protection and flood hazard mitigation.
Infrastructure investment must incorporate Nature’s lessons in a rapidly changing world
One Earth Several of the major economies of the world plan to stimulate their post-COVID recovery by spending on infrastructure. Among economists and environmentalists, there is a broad consensus that this spending represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a more sustainable global economy. The opportunity for transformation abounds in programs as diverse as the European […]
Water Level Management for Enhanced Fish and Wildlife Habitat Production in Upper Mississippi River Navigation Pools
ERDC Special Report There is a long history of fish and wildlife management associated with Upper Mississippi River navigation dams owned and operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Many operational changes have been made to improve aquatic habitat, with recent emphasis on pool-scale drawdowns to enhance wetland benefits without affecting navigation or […]
International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management
The International Guidelines on NNBF for Flood Risk Management provide practitioners with the best available information concerning the conceptualization, planning, design, engineering, construction, and maintenance of NNBF to support resilience and flood risk reduction for coastlines, bays, and estuaries, as well as river and freshwater systems. Explore the Guidelines.
An Assessment of Long-Term, Multipurpose Ecosystem Functions and Engineering Benefits Derived from Historical Dredged Sediment Beneficial Use Projects
ERDC Technical Report The beneficial use of dredged materials improves environmental outcomes while maximizing navigation benefits and minimizing costs, in accordance with the principles of the Engineering With Nature® (EWN) initiative. Yet, few studies document the long-term benefits of innovative dredged material management strategies or conduct comprehensive life-cycle analysis because of a combination of (1) […]
Beneficial use of dredged sediment as a sustainable practice for restoring coastal marsh habitat
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management Coastal Louisiana (USA) continues to sustain immense land and habitat losses due to subsidence, sea-level rise, and storm events. Approximately 65 million m3 (85 million cubic yards) of sediment is dredged annually from Gulf Coast federal navigation channels to maintain safe waterway passage. The beneficial use of these sediments continues […]
Using Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) principles to manage erosion of watersheds damaged by large‐scale wildfires
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) manages hundreds of reservoirs and thousands of miles of navigation channels that provide invaluable flood control, commercial transport of materials, water supply, recreation, and stream flow regulation. This capability is being threatened by the continued occurrence of large-scale wildfires across the western United […]
