Developing and Optimizing Multi-Dimensional NNBF and EWN Strategies that Endure Cold Region Environments
Cold Region (CR) environments experience unique environmental stressors such as loss of permafrost and ice sheets, sea-level rise, intense ice and snowstorms, high winds, and rising/falling lake levels. These unique conditions often complicate the development of lasting EWN® solutions that improve Cold Region resilience. This project aims to identify and develop new and non-traditional EWN […]
Nutrient Dynamics of the Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediment
Wetlands provide a variety of valuable ecosystem services such as storm surge reduction, floodwater attenuation, and water quality improvement. Engineering With Nature (EWN) projects that beneficially use dredged sediment to restore or create coastal wetlands have the potential to improve nutrient dynamics and resiliency within the coastal environment through the 1) restoration and creation of […]
Maximizing EWN in Urban Landscapes/Environments
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. […]
Applying Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) technology to the LA River to expand adaptation of EWN goals and projects
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 […]
Building an Engineering With Nature Business Case for Natural and Nature Based Features
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 […]
Wave attenuation of coastal mangroves during extreme water levels at near prototype scales
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 […]
Engineering With Nature CSTORM Modeling Toolkit
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 […]
Long Term Function of Coastal Islands Derived from Engineering With Nature Efforts
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 […]
Characterize and Evaluate Performance of Sediment Strategically Placed Adjacent to Wetlands
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 […]
Incorporating Engineering With Nature (EWN) and Landscape Architecture (LA) Designs into Existing Infrastructure Projects
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 […]
