News

Dr. Lee Weishar voted ASBPA Member of the Year

January 9, 2012

Dr. Lee Weishar, a Senior Scientist/Coastal Engineer at Woods Hole Group, was voted ASBPA Member of the Year at the ASBPA National Coastal Conference in New Orleans, October 2011. The selection of Member of the Year is based upon overall contributions to the organization. Some of Lee's contributions are listed below:

Committee Chairman for the Best Restored Beaches for 2011 and 2012
Assisted with organizing the National Coastal Conference
Identified and organized luncheon speakers
As Committee Chairman, he helped put together a look at the future of coastal engineering in the USA. This involved interviewing 60 people involved in coastal engineering, including people from academia, the USACE, and the private sector. The information gathered during these interviews was used to develop a PowerPoint presentation for the Coastal Engineering Research Board (CERB) and Engineer Research Development Center (ERDC)

For more information about the ASBPA, please visit their website: http://www.asbpa.org/

Woods Hole Group announced a new partnership with the Town of Barnstable, MA to protect the long-term future of Lake Wequaquet

October 7, 2011

"Woods Hole Group, an environmental science and engineering firm headquartered in Falmouth, will be monitoring Lake Wequaquet to inventory Phosphorous sources, and to develop a long-term management plan to help the Town address multiple uses and the sustainability of the lake for years to come." Read full story here.

3 ways to cope with sea level rise

April 12, 2011

An article on coping with sea level rise by Heather Goldstone, which mentions one of our ongoing projects, was featured in The Nation. Read the article here. See the project in progress on our blog, 2Fathom.

Bio-engineered solution for coastal erosion protection

March 8, 2011

Woods Hole Group designed, permitted, and is now overseeing construction of a large non-structural erosion control solution at Bayswater Seaside LLC properties in New Seabury, MA.

Three waterfront parcels in this development have experienced long-term erosion rates of approximately one foot per year (1845-1994), but recent storms and end-effects from a nearby revetment have nearly doubled erosion rates in the short-term. Property owners have been nourishing the beach and steep coastal bank since the 1980s, but recent nourishments of 20,000 cubic yards annually along the 250-foot shoreline made apparent the need for a more substantial solution...

Salt Marsh and Wetland Restoration Contract

February 24, 2011

In Massachusetts alone, thousands of acres of coastal marshes and wetlands are impacted by restricted tidal and water flows. These impacts result from failing infrastructure, from old and poorly planned projects, and from changing environmental conditions. The Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) coordinates ecological restoration projects to remedy these matters.

Coastal engineers and scientists from Woods Hole Group have been contracted by DER to provide coastal resource assessment, modeling, engineering, and design services. A key component of our work for DER is the application of unique computer models to improve design of flow structures. Hydraulic simulations help produce designs that keep salt marshes healthy while simultaneously maintaining civil works infrastructure - a testament to Woods Hole Group's technical expertise enabling sustainable (re)development. These modeling efforts support refined restoration plans and longer term adaptive management, and incorporate uncertainties associated with storm water management and future sea level rise...

Wave, current and meteorological data available for the Rhode Island coast

February 1 , 2011

Woods Hole Group installed and maintains a coastal and oceanographic data measurement network along the Rhode Island coastline. The work is conducted as part of the US Army Corps of Engineers Regional Sediment Management (RSM) program. Wave, current, and meteorological data will be collected for one year at various locations. There are three (3) offshore directional wave and current profiling sites, twelve (12) tide stations, four (4) current profilers at coastal inlets, as well as a meteorological station for collection of wind speed and direction, air temperature and pressure, and relative humidity measurements. Much of the data are available in near real-time at http://www.rirsm.org. Short-term vessel-based surveys also will be conducted to supplement the long-term measurements.

Beach Nourishment in Progress on Martha's Vineyard

January 14, 2011

Woods Hole Group planned, designed and permitted a beach nourishment project on Martha's Vineyard that spans beaches at Bend in the Road, Silvia State Beach, and sections of private property, including Cow Bay, in the Towns of Edgartown and Oak Bluffs, MA. The project is on the eastern side of the Island, protecting property, restoring wildlife habitat, and enhancing the beach resource along Nantucket Sound.

Woods Hole Group Opens a New Office

July 22, 2010

Woods Hole Group has announced the opening of its second Massachusetts office, located at 57 Route 6A in Orleans. The new facility will serve as an extension and satellite office of Woods Hole Group's headquarters in Falmouth.

The Orleans location was opened in an effort to provide additional resources to its Lower Cape clients and in response to deteriorating beach conditions in the area. It will offer the same services and resources through the company's global network and it will primarily focus on providing coastal sciences, engineering and planning services.

With offices in Falmouth, Delaware and Texas, the Orleans facility is Woods Hole Group's fourth domestic office. Peter Markunas will be the lead person in the new office, and Beth Hays, environmental permitting specialist, will also work there.

BEACH NEWS

American Shore & Beach Preservation Association

June 22, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kate or Ken Gooderham, (239) 489-2616 or exdir@asbpa.org

Oil and water: Spills and the shoreline, part 2

As oil continues to leak into the Gulf, what does it mean to beaches and the critters who rely on them? Answers to some of the common questions.

FORT MYERS -- The ongoing crisis surrounding the April 20 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has grabbed the nation's attention, as what is being dubbed as perhaps the nation's worst environmental disaster has released an untold amount of crude oil into the Gulf. This disaster has far too many aspects to be addressed in one sitting, but there have been numerous questions to ASBPA as to how the spill will impact the coastline. Therefore, the following FAQs will look at how the spill and the shoreline (and its users) interact.

Question: Is the only impact of an oil spill limited to the oil released into the water that can coat animals and ecosystems?

Answer: NO. That may be the main impact, but the short-term air quality issues when oil first reaches the surface also come into play. Within the first few hours, benzene and other VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) can degrade the air quality in the immediate area of freshly spilled crude oil, and the lingering odor can prove unpleasant (even unhealthy) for days to follow. See reports on air quality monitoring along the Gulf coast at http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/air.html . Oil that floats on the water can reduce the amount of sunlight reaching any plants below, causing damage without actually touching them. It may also lessen the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water, also harmful to water-based organisms. And the potential damage from undersea oil plumes is uncharted territory, as this is the first instance where scientists have reported finding them in conjunction with a spill.

Question: If while walking the beach you come upon a bird coated with oil, should you try to rinse it off?

Answer: NO. First, this is not an undertaking for the untrained. Animals will naturally be frightened by your approach (not to mention by the oil), and that fear can hurt you and them. Second, recovery is a lot more complicated than washing off a little oil, and likely will require veterinary care. Your best response is to contact local authorities -- either law enforcement or, if you know which agency is in charge, the group in charge of wildlife care in that area. They can call on people trained in animal recovery, who will have the tools and talent to help the animal survive.

Question: Can the greatest economic impact from an oil spill be from something that doesn't happen.

Answer: YES, at least if you're involved in a tourism-related business. For the entire Gulf Coast, and particularly Florida, the fear is that potential visitors will assume their favorite beach, estuary or fishing spot is an oily mire from the Gulf spill, and they'll change their travel plans accordingly. In any coastal community where tourists' cash keep businesses open and residents employed, a visitor drop on the magnitude some anticipate can wreck any economy fast. Expect to see a strong push to keep the Gulf beachfront status of the spill in the mind of the traveling public.

Question: Would a hurricane traveling through the Gulf of Mexico make the oil spill conditions worse?

Answer: MAYBE. High surf could drive oil further onshore and into wetlands and estuaries -- making it much more damaging. But it could also help remove oil from the beaches and nearshore waters, as happened in Texas after the 1979 Ixtoc I spill off the Mexican coast. It would certainly help disperse the oil slick, but could also dredge up some of the oil that had sunk into deeper waters or the ocean floor. All told, no one is feeling confident how the impact of a hurricane hitting the spill would play out. The change to currents, waves and winds by a large storm will have an impact on the spill, but are difficult to quantify since they are unique to each storm system.

Question: What's the scope of this spill in relation to similar disasters?

Answer: WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT. An accurate assessment of how much oil has actually been released will be a long time off, so it's hard to put it into perspective in comparison to other spills. Remember that no two spills are alike...one needs to consider the type of oil, type of shoreline, location, hydrology, climatic conditions, environmental resources and recovery patterns, etc.

Here are some numbers to consider (remember, 1 barrel equals 42 U.S. gallons):

Gulf War spill, Persian Gulf, 1991: Almost 11 million barrels spilled...considered the worst oil spill (so far).
Ixtoc I oil spill, Gulf of Mexico, 1979: More than 3 million barrels.
Atlantic Empress/Aegean Captain ships, Trinidad and Tobago, 1979: A little over 2 million barrels.
Well-known U.S. spills: Exxon Valdez (1989) released at least 250,000 barrels; the 1969 Santa Barbara blowout spewed just over 100,000 barrels.

Revised estimates of the Deepwater Horizon spill posit between 25,000 and 30,000 barrels a day were being released, depending on who you ask and what day you start measuring. (Oil losses after the June 3 cut in the riser pipe to install a cap may have reached 40,000 to 60,000 barrels per day by some estimates.)

What does this mean in terms of the water body in question? The Gulf of Mexico totals some 643 quadrillion gallons (or 15 quadrillion barrels); a quadrillion is equal to a million billion. The Mississippi River adds an average of 3.3 million gallons (or 78,570 barrels) of new water to the Gulf every second.

Question: Once the oil stops leaking, will we be able to define the full extent of the damage in short order?

Answer: NO. The Exxon Valdez spill -- which dumped 250,000 barrels of oil in Alaska's Prince William Sound -- took 20 years and an estimated $3.5 billion to resolve. Experts are saying we won't know the full extent of the damages -- environmental, economic and more -- for years, and expect this disaster to be the focus of scientific and legal energy for years more after that. For updates on the Deepwater Horizon spill, go to www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com. To learn more about beach issues and management, visit www.asbpa.org.

# # #

See part 1 of this article here.

Earth Day

April 22, 2010

Woods Hole Landholdings (WHLH) teamed with Beaumont Solar in December 2009 to install a 176-panel 40 kilowatt (KW) solar photovoltaic (PV) array on the building that is home to Woods Hole Group.

This Earth Day, Woods Hole Group is proud to announce that since activation on December 10, 2009, our PV system has generated 6400 kilowatt hours (kWh) and offset approximately 8000 lbs of CO₂ emissions. Four tons of avoided emissions are equivalent to the personal offsets for almost five round trip flights from Boston to Los Angeles. In just over four months, our 2400 square foot rooftop installation has reduced the same amount of emissions as would be sequestered by 93 trees over ten years.

Woods Hole Group analyzed building energy use from available data and calculated that the PV array supplied 19% of our electricity in January, 29% in February, and 22% in March. As summer nears, we are looking forward to up to 40% renewable energy.

Other equivalencies for 4 tons CO₂:

Driving 2009 Toyota Camry 8000 miles
Consumption of 408 gallons of gasoline
Consumption of 8.4 barrels of oil
Use of 151 propane barbecue cylinders

View system summary