DOD
The U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (WES), Coastal Engineering Research Center's (CERC) Field Research Facility (FRF) is located on the Atlantic Ocean, near the village of Duck, North Carolina. Since 1977, the FRF has continuously collected high quality coastal oceanographic data in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' coastal engineering research program. These data have enhanced our fundamental knowledge of coastal forces such as waves, currents, water levels and the impact they have on the caostal zone through erosion and accretion. The FRF also hosts a wide variety of activities conducted by the coastal research community. Supporting these studies are a combination of a small, dedicated and experienced staff, and unique equipment designed for working in the surf zone where intense wave breaking makes normal operations difficult. Because the Duck site is representative of many coastal locations, studies conducted at the facility have provided reliable field data to calibrate and verify analytical, numerical, and physcial models used in coastal engineering. The FRF occupies 712 sq km (176 acres) extending from Currituck Sound on the west, to the Atlantic Ocean. The facility consists of office and field operation buildings, a multipurpose conference room, a 43-m-tall (140 ft) observation tower, and a 560-m-long (1,840 ft) concrete and steel pier. The location and design of the facility was specifically chosen to permit studying the hurricanes and intense storms that affect the Outer Banks. Several specialized vehicles including the unique 10-m-high (35 ft) Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy or CRAB are used for in-water work. For more information, see the FRF pages: "http://www.frf.usace.army.mil/" [This summary was derived from the FRF pages.]
DOD/USARMY/USACE/CHL/CERC