30 



Department of the Army 



U.S. Army Coqjs of Engineers 



FY 1965-$ 507,000 

 FY 1966-$ 637,000 

 FY 1967-$1,057,000 



Background 



The Army Corps of Engineers has long been 

 responsible for maintaining and improving ship 

 channels into coastal harbois. More recently it 

 has been given responsibility for protecting shores 

 and beaches from the processes of erosion and for 

 preventing the flooding of coastal areas by hurri- 

 canes and tsunamis. The increasing use of shore 

 areas and nearshore waters for recreation has 

 given a new impetus to the building of small 

 craft harbors w^ith suitable access channels and to 

 the restoration and widening of eroded beaches. 

 To accomplish these tasks the oceanographic re- 

 search program of the Corps of Engineers is 

 wholly concerned with the problems of land-sea 

 interaction. It should, thus, be classified as a 

 continental shelf program. The work is conducted 

 principally at the Coastal Engineering Research 

 Center, Washington, D.C., and at universities and 

 private institutions. 



Proposed FY 1967 Program 



Wave Action in Coastal Waters 



Most of the damage to beaches and shore 

 protection structures is caused by the action of 

 ocean surface waves upon them. Prediction 

 methods are presently available for most forms 

 of wave action. These methods are, however, 

 often uncertain and inaccurate. The Corps will, 

 therefore, continue its research into the charac- 

 teristics of ocean surface waves, their generation, 

 propagation, transformation, breaking and action 

 on shores and coastal structures. Like all Corps 

 of Engineers research projects, these investiga- 

 tions will be conducted in the laboratory and in 

 the field. Results will make possible the improve- 

 ment of design criteria for beach restoration and 

 the building of coastal structiues. 



Shore Processes 



This project has the pinpose of gaining an im- 

 proved understanding of the processes involved 

 in the interaction of the natural shore with the 

 forces of wave, wind, tide, current, and surge 

 imposed upon it, and the reaction of the shore and 

 shoreline to these forces and processes. The 

 mechanics of movement of littoral materials 

 by both wind and water and the development of 

 natural shore features must be better understood 

 in order to solve the problems of shore erosion 

 and the shoaling of channels. 



Tides and Surges 



The processes involved in the excitation of 

 harbors and bay areas to surge or seiche must be 

 imderstood if they are to be protected from the 

 effects of tsunamis or seismic waves. Tides and 

 other long waves, and their propagation onto and 

 transformation in the shore regime will be studied. 

 The study involves both basic and applied re- 

 search on: the propagation, transformation, break- 

 ing, and run-up of long waves; the mechanics of 

 tidal flow at inlets and estuaries; the design water 

 levels resulting from such tides or long waves; 

 and the forces or flows resulting from the im- 

 pingement of these waves on shores and shore 

 structures. 



Inlet and Estuary Dynamics 



The Corps will continue its research to obtain 

 an improved understanding of inlet and estuary 

 dynamics. The study of tidal hydraulic phenomena 

 will be emphasized to find solutions to the prob- 

 lems of shoaling, bank erosion, pollution and 

 flushing, particularly as these factors affect ship- 

 ping areas and beaches used for recreation. 



Environmental Data Collection 



Ocean wave data will be collected, compiled, 

 and analyzed in order to assess factors related to 

 shore processes more adequately. Data at onshore 

 locations will be used to make forecasts based on 

 local hydrographic conditions. Offshore record- 

 ings of deep water wave data will permit the 

 evaluation of previously obtained hindcasts and 

 the verification of wave forecasts derived from 

 meteorological data. 



