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US Army Corps of Engineers

Coastal Inlets Research Program

US Depth of Closure InformationCIRPRSM

Depth of closure (DOC) is an important concept used in coastal engineering. The DOC is a theoretical depth along a beach profile where sediment transport is very small or non-existent, dependent on wave height and period, and occasionally, sediment grain size. More specifically, Kraus (1998) states that the “depth of closure for a given or characteristic time interval is the most landward depth seaward of which there is no significant change in bottom elevation and no significant net sediment transport between the nearshore and the offshore.” Often the DOC is used in coastal engineering design for projects such as beach and nearshore berm nourishments, and jetty and navigation channel designs. The dataset provided here estimates DOCs for all of the coast lines of the United States, including the Great Lakes, using the USACE Wave Information Study (WIS) wave hindcast data. A few related publications including a technical note detailing methods used to produce the dataset are provided as well.
Click an area below for the Depth of Closure data by region
Depth of Closure Great Lakes Great Lakes Great Lakes Great Lakes Great Lakes Great Lakes Great Lakes Great Lakes Great Lakes Atlantic Great Lakes Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Great Lakes Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic Gulf Gulf Gulf Gulf Gulf Gulf Gulf Gulf Gulf Pacific Pacific Pacific Pacific Pacific Pacific Pacific Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska Pacific Pacific Pacific Pacific Pacific Pacific Pacific
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Alaska Region

Depth of Closure
Yearly data
Cumulative data

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Atlantic Region

Depth of Closure
Yearly data
Cumulative data

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Great Lakes Region

Depth of Closure
Yearly data
Cumulative data

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Gulf of Mexico Region

Depth of Closure
Yearly data
Cumulative data

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Pacific Region (including Hawaii)

Depth of Closure
Yearly data
Cumulative data

Links to files:
Gulf of Mexico Region
Yearly data
Cumulative data
Pacific Region (including Hawaii)
Yearly data
Cumulative data
Great Lakes Region
Yearly data
Cumulative data
Atlantic Region
Yearly data
Cumulative data
Alaska Region
Yearly data
Cumulative data

Documentation
Point of Contact
Brian.C.McFall@usace.army.mil
Engineer Research and Development Center
Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory
Vicksburg, MS 39180