Recent R&D accomplishments at the Coastal Engineering Research Center Field Research Facility

The U.S.Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC), Field Research Facility, Duck, NC, provides the Corps of Engineers and the international coastal research community with the capability to conduct a wide variety of field R&D studies vital to the Corps' coastal engineering mission. Long-term, high quality engineering and oceanographic data are being collected to enhance knowledge of the temporal and spatial distribution of coastal forces. Short term comprehensive measurements are being made to develop an improved understanding of the natural processes important to coastal planning design, construction, operation and maintenance. Both data sets provide input for calibration and verification of analytical, numerical, and physical models. This paper describes the Facility and its capabilities for coastal engineering and oceanographic research. Results of studies conducted by CERC and numerous outside researchers are summarized. An overview of the accomplishments of a unique field research program of the Corps of Engineers is provided.