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  • December

    The community of a little more than 700 people located in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay is experiencing erosion, sea-level rise and subsidence. Multiple projects, including an active dredging program and soon to be built jetty, are ongoing or being studied by The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to find ways to combat the effects of these elements. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    Bay islanders receive status update on needed jetty

    In front of a mostly packed house in Tangier Island’s combined-school cafeteria, a panel of Norfolk District leaders, engineers and scientists briefed the community on progress of the jetty project.

  • March

    Coastal engineers expect that large storms will induce sediment transport from the nourished beach and move sand offshore. When this happens, waves begin to break farther from the shoreline, thus weakening their force before they reach the shoreline itself. In this way, beach nourishment projects help protect dunes and property from further erosion, decrease flooding, and limit how far ashore storm surge will go. A wide, flat beach berm with a sufficient volume of sand keeps the erosive power of the waves from reaching and destroying the dunes and structures and can reduce damages significantly from waves, inundation, and erosion. Without beach nourishment, the starting point for damage would be farther onshore; a nourished beach, with sufficient sand volume and healthy dunes, absorbs the storm's energy, even during slow-moving storms, and helps prevent damages to structures and infrastructure.

    Engineering the Recovery from Hurricane Sandy

    Although a lot of engineering goes into planning, designing, and constructing hard structures such as levees, walls, tidal barriers, and pump stations, engineering is crucial to building and replenishing beaches, as well.
  • (From left to right) Dr. David King, Zeki Dmemirbilek, Don Ward and Lihwa Lin, are the team members performing the computer modeling efforts in Vicksburg, Miss. The end result will assist Norfolk District engineers with designing a jetty that will maximize the benefits within the alloted $3.6 million to design and build it for the residents Tangier, Va.

    For eroding island, engineers' efforts start with models

    Researchers are using wind, wave, turbidity data and more to understand the conditions in the Tangier Federal Navigation Channel and harbor. The resulting computer model will help determine what type and size of jetty will protect the waterway and harbor from wave attack, ultimately saving the local watermen tens of thousands of dollars in repair costs during storms.

  • For eroding island, engineers' efforts start with models

    A team of engineers and researchers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering Research and Development Center, Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory in Vicksburg, Miss., is gathering wind data on Tangier Island, an island in the Chesapeake Bay that is sinking and eroding away, especially when strong winds churn storm waters.