Understanding the past, present, and future behavior of our nation's shorelines is vital for sensible coastal management. Localized areas of erosion, termed "erosional hot spots", can shift the shoreline landward threatening coastal infrastructure (Kraus and Galgano, 2001; Stauble and Gravens, 2004; McNinch, 2004). One specific type of erosional hot spot...
The experimental setup and data are presented for a laboratory experiment conducted to examine realistic wave forcing on a highway bridge superstructure. The experiments measure wave conditions along with the resulting forces, pressures, and structural response of a 1:5 scale, reinforced concrete model of a typical section of the I-10...
We examine the interactions and feedbacks between bathymetry, waves, currents, and
sediment transport. The first two pro jects focus on the use of remote sensing techniques
to expand our knowledge of the nearshore. Due to the plethora of snap-shot data that is
available from satellites and their distribution via Google...
Probability-based reliability methods have placed an increased emphasis on realistic simulation of structural behavior in bridge engineering. Uncertainty is present in every aspect of structural analysis. Aleatory uncertainties in the loading and load-carrying capacities, and epistemic uncertainties in mathematical idealization of bridge systems are the major contributors to uncertain structural...
The subaerial beach, composed of sand dunes and the foreshore, provides a natural buffer zone between vulnerable land and the dissipation of storm wave energy due to wave breaking. The natural beauty of this region is attractive to people, and as a result, significant investment has been placed in this...
This thesis is comprised of a manuscript based on a laboratory experiment run in the Tsunami Wave Basin as part of a research project funded by the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation called Housesmash. The purpose of the experiment was to better understand the role of the urban environment, represented...
This research intends to provide insights into community wind energy development in Oregon using an integrated analysis approach, which incorporates GIS Suitability Analysis, Socio-Political Analysis, and Empirical Case Studies. In the GIS analysis, we developed a model through a series of steps (including data acquisition, preprocessing, data management, manipulation and...
This research considers the availability of the appropriate geospatial data in support of
vulnerability mapping of the Oregon coast. An online experiment, Voicing Climate Concerns,
was developed to give community stakeholders, researchers and other interested parties the
opportunity to voice their concerns on climate change and their perceived vulnerability to...
In this dissertation the interactions between hydrodynamics, sediment suspension and transport, and morphological evolution in the surf zone was investigated with a large-scale laboratory experiment data, CROss-Shore Sediment Transport Experiment (CROSSTEX). The data set included comprehensive measurements of water surface elevation, fluid velocity, sediment concentration, and morphology for irregular waves...
Biological invasions provide a unique opportunity to study the mechanisms that regulate community composition and ecosystem function. Invasive species that are also ecosystem engineers can substantially alter physical features in an environment, and this can lead to cascading effects on the biological community. Aquatic-terrestrial interface ecosystems are excellent systems to...