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Dr. Byrnes is a Senior
Coastal Scientist and Principal at Applied Coastal Research and
Engineering, Inc. (Applied Coastal). For the past 17 years, he has been
a Principal Investigator/Program Manager on more than 55 coastal and
nearshore process studies as a Research Scientist at the U.S. Army
Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics
Laboratory (formerly the Coastal Engineering Research Center); Coastal
Geology Section Chief for the Louisiana Geological Survey; Research
Professor at the Coastal Studies Institute, Louisiana State University;
and Senior Coastal Scientist at Aubrey Consulting, Inc. and Applied
Coastal. The emphasis for most studies was on regional coastal erosion
and geomorphic change analyses (shoreline and bathymetry change), wave
transformation and sediment transport, offshore sand resource
assessments, sediment budget evaluation, shoreline restoration
strategies, wetland loss delineation and classification, and geologic
framework. He has authored more than 60 publications in these areas of
interest.
Over the past 10
years, Dr. Byrnes has been responsible for managing and conducting
numerous projects focused on coastal sedimentation processes and
regional response of beaches, inlets, and estuaries to incident wave and
current processes. Projects include Inlet Sediment Transport Patterns
at Grays Harbor, WA and Development of an Entrance Sediment Budget;
Sediment Bypassing at Structured Entrances and Geomorphic Change
Modeling; Rockefeller Refuge Gulf Shoreline Stabilization: Coastal
Geology and Processes Analyses; Environmental Survey of Identified Sand
Resource Sites Offshore Alabama, New Jersey, North Carolina, and the
East Coast of Florida; Assessment of Beach Response to a Segmented
Breakwater System: Southwest Louisiana Coast; Sediment Budget Evaluation
Using Historical Shoreline and Beach Profile Data: Western Town Line to
Horton Point, Southold, NY; Feasibility of Barrier Shoreline Restoration
in Coastal Louisiana-Coastal Geology, Geomorphology, and Physical
Processes; Numerical Modeling Evaluation of the Cumulative Physical
Effects of Offshore Sand Dredging for Beach Nourishment; Physical
Environmental Impacts of Pipeline Construction and Operation for the
Mardi Gras Pipeline, Barataria Basin, Louisiana; Shoreline Change
Assessment: Satellite Beach to Fort Pierce Inlet, Florida; Regional
Analysis of Sediment Transport and Dredged Material Disposal Patterns,
Columbia River Mouth, Washington/Oregon, and Adjacent Shores; Inlets
Online: A Tutorial of Interpreting Aerial Photography for the Analysis
of Sediment Transport Patterns and Geomorphic Change at Entrances;
Geographic Information System Development for Evaluating Sediment
Transport Patterns at Inlets and Adjacent Environments: Data Capture,
Analysis, and Management; Study of the Environmental Impacts of Offshore
Sand Mining in Massachusetts Bay; and Coastal Change Assessment for
Brevard County, FL. GIS/mapping tools and numerical modeling are
integral components of the strategy used to address project objectives.
State-of-knowledge compilation and analysis techniques form the basis
for providing innovative strategies for addressing complex coastal
environmental issues.
Coastal Change
Assessment
Since 1990,
Dr. Byrnes has contracted with Federal agencies such as the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE),
and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to develop state-of-science methods
for compiling and analyzing historical hydrographic and shoreline
surveys for quantifying change in the coastal zone. Detailed procedures
were developed for compiling historical map data, where conversion from
various cartographic parameters to a common coordinate system, map
projection, ellipsoid, and datum are critical for accurately assessing
change and associated potential measurement uncertainties. These data
represent the most basic and useful information for evaluating local and
regional sediment transport dynamics and their influence on coastal
evolution. FEMA uses these data for determining setback criteria for
coastal construction. USACE uses shoreline data for calibrating
numerical shoreline change models and for developing coastal structure
design criteria. Hydrographic surveys are used to quantify channel
shoaling rates and supply bathymetric data for developing regional
circulation and sediment transport numerical modeling grids. The USGS
and MMS use hydrographic and shoreline surveys for basic and applied
scientific research on sediment transport dynamics in the coastal zone.
Dr. Byrnes also has applied these techniques in wetland environments for
evaluating the impact pipelines have on wetland loss, including scour
associated with pipeline landfall from offshore sites. Recently, Dr.
Byrnes has applied these procedures for developing coastal change data
sets in support of litigation, for which he has served as an expert
witness.
Channel and Shoal
Dynamics at Inlets
For the past
decade, Dr. Byrnes has compiled and analyzed site-specific and regional
bathymetric surveys to document the evolution of channels and shoals at
engineered entrances relative to navigation safety and environmental
concerns. Many studies were funded under the USACE Inlets Research
Program to address shoal migration and sedimentation processes in
navigation channels and environmental considerations associated with
maintenance dredging activities. Because sedimentation patterns and
rates of change were determined by comparing sequential bathymetric and
shoreline surveys, detailed procedures were developed for compiling and
analyzing data sets and associated potential measurement uncertainties.
Net sediment volume changes were quantified to develop inlet sediment
budgets for predicting long-term system response to engineering
activities.
Offshore Sand
Resource Evaluations
Over the past
11 years, Dr. Byrnes has conducted offshore sand resource evaluations
for determining the sedimentary characteristics of deposits and the
associated potential environmental issues concerning sand mining on the
Continental Shelf. The geographic extent of these studies ranges from
coastal Louisiana to offshore Massachusetts. Dr. Byrnes primary
interest is with the physical environmental effects of dredging
activities in altering fluid and sediment transport patterns at
potential borrow sites and along shorelines landward of resource areas.
Analyses rely on comparison of NOAA historical bathymetry and shoreline
data sets and numerical modeling of wave transformation over variable
bathymetry. Analysis results supply information for policy decisions
regarding potential dredging effects and for development of impact
reports required under the National Environmental Policy Act in support
of potential lease agreements.
Impact of Coastal
Structures on Shoreline Change
Since 1984,
Dr. Byrnes has evaluated the impact of coastal structures on sediment
transport dynamics and coastal evolution throughout the U.S. He has
been principal investigator on several studies assessing the influence
of navigation and shore protection structures on beach response,
including an evaluation of beach change to construction of 85 segmented
breakwaters offshore southwestern Louisiana and an assessment of
downdrift beach evolution in response to jetty construction at St. Marys
Entrance, GA/FL; Grays Harbor and Columbia River, WA; Port Canaveral and
Sebastian Inlet, FL; and Mattituck and Goldsmith Inlets, Southold, NY.
All projects relied on the application of GIS/mapping tools for accurate
compilation and analysis of data sets. Presently, he is evaluating the
physical environmental impacts of offshore sand dredging and beach
replenishment (soft structure) on coastal and nearshore sediment
transport patterns for the U.S. Mineral Management Service.
Geologic Framework
Evaluation
In a number
of regional projects, Dr. Byrnes has conducted studies on the geologic
evolution of coastal environments. These deposits represent the
framework upon which modern coastal change is occurring. As such, he
has devoted substantial time understanding the geotechnical factors
influencing pipeline, cable, and structure placement at the land-sea
boundary and in estuarine deposits. Sediment dynamics at the leading
edge of land have substantial influence on the placement of structures
relative to erosion trends. Dr. Byrnes has conducted most of these
studies with the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
Professional Societies
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Coastal Education and Research
Foundation (CERF)
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American Geophysical Union (AGU)
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Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM)
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Geological Society of America
(GSA)
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Sigma Xi - The Scientific Research
Society
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Phi Kappa Phi
Professional
Committees
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Editorial Board, Geo-Marine
Letters, 1993-present
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Editorial Board, Marine Models
Online, 1996-1999
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Associate Editor, Gulf of Mexico
Science, 1996-1999
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Gulf Coast Section SEPM Editor for
Gulf Coast Association Geological Societies Conference, 1995
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Technical Study Advisor for
Coastal Wetland Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA):
Louisiana Barrier Shoreline Study, Louisiana Department of Natural
Resources, October 1994 to March 1995
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Public Policy Committee, Southeast
GSA, 1991-1994
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Workshop on the Future Needs of
Users for Nautical Information, Working Group 3: Database Issues/Nautical
Charts and Marine GIS, National Research Council, 1993
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