Conceptual Regional Sediment Budget for USACE North Atlantic Division

Abstract

Abstract : This report documents development of a Conceptual Regional Sediment Budget (CRSB) for the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) North Atlantic Division (NAD). The NAD requested preparation of a CRSB as part of the post-Hurricane Sandy assessment to provide information about sediment sources and opportunities for strategic placement of sediment within the Division. Development of a detailed working sediment budget is fundamental to better sediment management. A conceptual sediment budget is the first phase in development of the working budget, and is intended to provide a general framework based on existing transport information from which a more detailed sediment budget can be later prepared based on rigorous data analysis and numerical modeling. For this CRSB, existing literature and databases were reviewed and analyzed to characterize sediment transport pathways and magnitudes, and morphologic zones of erosion and accretion. The CRSB highlights areas with data gaps, conflicts in existing budgets, and opportunities for better sediment management within the NAD and is available via a Geographic Information System (GIS) portal.