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- The U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station
(WES), Coastal Engineering Research Center's (CERC) Field Research
Facility (FRF) is located on the Atlantic Ocean, near the village of
Duck, North Carolina.
Since 1977, the FRF has continuously collected high quality
coastal oceanographic data in support of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers' coastal engineering research program. These data have
enhanced our fundamental knowledge of coastal forces such as waves,
currents, water levels and the impact they have on the caostal zone
through erosion and accretion. The FRF also hosts a wide variety of
activities conducted by the coastal research community.
Supporting these studies are a combination of a small, dedicated
and experienced staff, and unique equipment designed for working in
the surf zone where intense wave breaking makes normal operations
difficult. Because the Duck site is representative of many coastal
locations, studies conducted at the facility have provided reliable
field data to calibrate and verify analytical, numerical, and physcial
models used in coastal engineering.
The FRF occupies 712 sq km (176 acres) extending from Currituck
Sound on the west, to the Atlantic Ocean. The facility consists of
office and field operation buildings, a multipurpose conference room, a
43-m-tall (140 ft) observation tower, and a 560-m-long (1,840 ft)
concrete and steel pier. The location and design of the facility was
specifically chosen to permit studying the hurricanes and intense
storms that affect the Outer Banks. Several specialized vehicles
including the unique 10-m-high (35 ft) Coastal Research Amphibious
Buggy or CRAB are used for in-water work.
For more information, see the FRF pages:
"http://www.frf.usace.army.mil/"
[This summary was derived from the FRF pages.]
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