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Abstracts

“Improving Sea-Level Information at DoW Sites for Risk Assessments Using Hybrid Modeling and Data-Fusion (ISIDoW)” by Dr. Söenke Dangendorf (RC23-3707)

Extreme Water Levels (EWL) are exerting increasing pressure on the more than 1,800 coastal and estuarine military installations maintained by DoW.  Typically, EWL and tidal datums are derived by statistical analysis of observational records, ideally from the vicinity of the investigation site. However, most DoW sites are not equipped with tide gauges. Thus, current EWL and their vertical datums are based on interpolations from sparse datasets often recorded hundreds of miles away and not necessarily representative of local conditions. To improve the Defense Regional Sea Level (DRSL) database of tidal datums and EWL, this project will develop a holistic approach that hindcasts sea levels and tidal datums at any location worldwide using remote sensing and in situ measurements coupled with information on contributing processes and their forcing and interaction. By hindcasting sea level via physical and empirical relationships, this project will significantly enhance the existing DRSL database temporally and spatially, reducing uncertainties in EWL estimates and their vertical datums to levels commensurate with DRSL applications.

“Corrosion Validation of Engineering Solutions for Sea Spray Aerosol Control” by Dr. Raymond Santucci (NH24-8894)

Breakwater technologies, thoroughly studied by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy, are designed to attenuate wave height and dissipate wave energy to prevent or limit wave run-up or shoreline erosion. Breakwaters can be submerged or floating, and can be grey (man-made) or green (nature-based). Breakwater design does not currently account for sea spray aerosolization as an impact of implementation. Aerosol deposition modeling is a robust field capable of theoretical and experimental validation. The effect of structures such as grass, trees, and buildings on aerosol transport and deposition is well studied. Mutually beneficial effects can be wrought from the design and implementation of these structures for coastal and corrosion engineering. Successful corrosion mitigation will be gauged by the ability for land-based and/or sea-based technologies to reduce the corrosion severity by a value of at least 1.0 using the Naval aviation enterprise internal environmental severity indexing (ESI) framework.

Speaker Biographies

Dr. Söenke Dangendorf is the David and Jane Flowerree Associate Professor in the Department of River Coastal Science and Engineering at Tulane University. His research focuses on reconstructing historical sea level changes and associated contributing factors using tide gauge records, satellite altimetry, and statistical-physical modeling approaches. He has made major contributions to understanding the causes of regional and global sea level change and the associated impacts along the coast. Dr. Dangendorf was a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. He currently serves on the NASA Sea Level Science Team. He also participates in the Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub and the Mississippi River Delta Transition Initiative. Dr. Dangendorf earned his doctrate in Coastal Engineering from the University of Siegen, Germany.

Dr. Raymond Santucci, Jr. is a materials engineer at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC, where he leads programs dedicated to securing the operational availability of military assets by transitioning scientific innovations to real-world applications. His work spans basic and applied research in atmospheric corrosion, aerospace alloys, coatings, and additive manufacturing. He has partnered with ESTCP to ensure that the corrosion impacts of coastal resiliency technologies are fully recognized with a focus on preventing unintended consequences while capitalizing on opportunities to improve fleet readiness through proactive corrosion mitigation. Dr. Santucci serves in several professional societies, standards committees, and defense groups/communities. His work has been featured in several popular science publications including the DoW’s Defense Systems Information Analysis Center (DSIAC) Journal (cover feature). He earned his doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia.