Extension of the Underwater Munitions Expert System to Beach Face and Estuarine Environments
Abstract
This status report summarizes recent efforts to build two new versions of the Underwater Munitions Expert System to encompass additional aquatic environments of interest to managers in munitions remediation management: on the beach face and in estuaries. Recent research sponsored by the SERDP Munitions Response (MR) program has completed experiments in the swash zone portion of the sandy coastal region, an energetic environment where munitions are subject to intermittent submergence by waves rushing up the beach face. Other research studies have examined the behavior of munitions located in estuaries where the seafloor sediment often has a large component of cohesive muds. Numerous formerly-used defense sites currently requiring remediation are located in estuarine environments, while the high recreational value of beaches make them a region of particular management concern. The development of a version of the expert system representing the behavior of munitions under processes in the swash zone is discussed. Due to high variability in observations of burial and migration response, it was difficult to discern physical force balances with clarity; therefore, an aggregate statistical approach was used. In estuaries, the fate of munitions appears dominated by burial, with minimal migration. Physics-based models for impact penetration, and for subsequent burial by settling, are presented, requiring input of geotechnical sediment measurements. Previous research performed under the Office of Naval Research provided guidance for impact burial into the soft seabed, as well as scour burial modeling, which was updated to account for cohesive sediments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 31, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1217117
Entities
People
- Alan Brandt
- Sarah E. Rennie
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University