The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility: More Than Two Decades of Coastal Research

Birkemeier, William A.; Holland, Kate

doi:10.21236/ada609429

Cited by 10 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…This unmatched data set provides a good measure of the dynamic nature of the nearshore zone, including during storms. The natural long‐term behaviour of this zone is well documented (Howd and Birkemeier, 1987; Lee and Birkemeier, 1993; Larson and Kraus, 1994; Birkemeier and Holland, 2001). The measurements have also been used to refine theories of the nearshore morphologic changes and to develop and test numerical models of nearshore response to natural conditions (Birkemeier, 1985; Plant et al , 1999; Li et al , 2005; Reeve et al , 2007).…”

Section: Survey Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation of the link between beach morphology and wave climate at Duck, NC, USA

Horrillo-Caraballo¹,

Reeve²

2008

J Flood Risk Management

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Beaches can play an important role in flood defence by providing protection from the wave action. Understanding how beaches respond during storms and how beach profiles interact with waves and tides is very important in terms of the management of flood and erosion risks. In this paper we describe the application of canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to an historical data set of seabed elevations in Duck, NC, USA. The study site is a sandy beach located on the east coast of USA. The data set comprises detailed bathymetric surveys of beach profiles covering a period of over 24 years, and wave conditions measured over the same period, but at a different sampling rate. The structure of the data set and the data handling methods are described. The CCA method is applied using different assumptions about the distribution of wave heights. The results extend previous work by Larson et al. (2000), and demonstrate that the choice of how to describe the wave conditions can influence the quality of predictions made on the basis of the CCA results.

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Section: Survey Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation of the link between beach morphology and wave climate at Duck, NC, USA

Horrillo-Caraballo¹,

Reeve²

2008

J Flood Risk Management

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“…Observations used in this study were obtained from the Army Corps of Engineers' Field Research Facility (FRF), located near the town of Duck, North Carolina [ Birkemeier and Holland , 2001]. We utilize data from the Duck94 field experiment, which spanned a broad range of wave conditions and we design our analysis to be directly comparable with that of G1998, who analyzed data from the same experiment.…”

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prediction skill of nearshore profile evolution models

et al. 2004

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[1] The hindcast prediction skill of a beach profile evolution model has been evaluated using bathymetric observations obtained at Duck, North Carolina. The model included coupling and feedback between evolving bathymetry, wave-averaged hydrodynamics, and parameterized cross-shore sediment transport. Statistically optimum predictions were obtained by tuning free model parameters using rigorous inverse methods. When compared to persistence predictions (i.e., substitution of the initial, observed profile at all prediction times), significant prediction skill was found for prediction periods longer than 3 days and shorter than 17 days. The average skill (defined as 1 minus the ratio of prediction to persistence error variances) for a typical 5-day prediction was 0.4, and the maximum skill was 0.8. In contrast to several previously published comparisons with field data, the present approach yielded significant predictive skill during conditions dominated by onshore sediment transport. To make significant predictions, it was necessary to vary model parameters values, which showed a dependence on wave conditions at the seaward boundary of the model domain. Finally, interpretation of the estimated parameter values and prediction skills suggests that (1) errors in existing hydrodynamic models contributed significantly to profile prediction error; (2) a transport model using only second-order statistics of hydrodynamics was as accurate as (and sometimes more accurate than) a typically used energetics model; (3) existing sediment transport models contained significant errors in the formulations describing downslope and bed load transport; and (4) when driving models with observed flow fields, sampling limitations contribute to profile prediction error.

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“…These observations provide continuous background information for the wide variety of studies that have been conducted at the FRF, including in the 1990s a series of comprehensive, multi-investigator surf zone experiments (Birkemeier and Holland, 2001). These observations provide continuous background information for the wide variety of studies that have been conducted at the FRF, including in the 1990s a series of comprehensive, multi-investigator surf zone experiments (Birkemeier and Holland, 2001).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 98%

The Importance of Coastal Observations to Activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Birkemeier¹,

Lillycrop²,

Jensen³

et al. 2010

mar technol soc j

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A B S T R A C TThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is a project-oriented agency with multiple national missions under its Civil Works program including navigation, hydropower, flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, water supply, regulatory authority for wetlands and U.S. waters, recreation, and disaster preparedness and response. The Corps ocean and coastal activities revolve around the design, construction, and maintenance of specific projects such as channel dredging, coastal protection, beach nourishment, and harbor construction, all requiring research, modeling, and observations. Several Corps activities contribute ocean observations to the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS ® ) and have requirements for existing or planned IOOS observations. Collected observations include long-term coastal wave climate, water levels, and coastal mapping data information. These provide project-specific and regional data that are used to develop and verify numerical models which are extensively used in project design and to evaluate project costs, benefits, and associated risk. An overview of the Corps coastal activities, data collection, and modeling programs is provided along with information regarding how IOOS coastal and ocean data are being used by the Corps.

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility: More Than Two Decades of Coastal Research

Cited by 10 publications

References 29 publications

An investigation of the link between beach morphology and wave climate at Duck, NC, USA

An investigation of the link between beach morphology and wave climate at Duck, NC, USA

Prediction skill of nearshore profile evolution models

The Importance of Coastal Observations to Activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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