Use of Seabed Drifters for Locating and Monitoring Dredged Material Placement Sites. Environmental Effects of Dredging

The purpose of this note provides information on using seabed drifters (SBDs) to help locate optimum sites for placing dredged material, for both nearshore berms (feeder berms) and offshore mounds (stable berms). In addition, guidance is given for using SBI)s to monitor potential sediment transport pathways at existing dredged material placement sites. Some of the information provided is based on results from DUCK 85 and SUPERDUCK, two large coastal processes experiments conducted during the fall of 1985 and 1986, respectively, on the outer banks of North Carolina. Seabed drifter Investigations during SUPERDUCK were directed specifically toward offshore dredged material placement applications. Other guidance is based on monitoring associated with past and ongoing projects of Corps Districts. -BKA