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NSF Aeronomy Program Grant Opportunity FAQs

What is the NSF Aeronomy grant opportunity?

The NSF Aeronomy grant opportunity supports scientific research on Earths upper atmosphere, focusing on the region from the mesosphere up through the thermosphere and across all parts of the ionosphere. The program aims to improve understanding of the physical and chemical processes that control how this region behaves, changes, and interacts with neighboring regions.

Which part of the atmosphere does this program focus on?

The program focuses on Earths upper atmosphere, specifically spanning the mesosphere, thermosphere, and the ionosphere (across all parts of the ionosphere).

What is the main goal of the Aeronomy Program?

The core purpose is to improve understanding of the physical and chemical processes that govern the upper atmosphere, including how it behaves, evolves over time, and interacts with adjacent atmospheric and space regions.

What research topics are typically supported?

Typical topics include fundamental mechanisms of ionization and recombination, chemical reactions in the upper atmosphere, photoemission processes, and how energy and momentum are transported within the upper atmosphere and exchanged between different altitude layers.

Does the program support research on energy and momentum transport?

Yes. A key interest area includes how energy and momentum are transported within the upper atmosphere and how they are exchanged between different altitude layers.

Is the upper atmosphere treated as an isolated system in this program?

No. A major emphasis is that the upper atmosphere is not an isolated system. The program encourages research that explains how the upper atmosphere is coupled downward to the stratosphere and upward to the magnetosphere.

What does coupling mean in the context of this opportunity?

Coupling refers to the connections and exchanges between the upper atmosphere and neighboring regions, including interactions with the stratosphere below and the magnetosphere above, such as energy transfer, momentum exchange, and linked physical processes across regions.

Does the Aeronomy Program support ionosphere-magnetosphere research?

Yes. The program encourages work on the plasma physics behind phenomena that occur in the coupled ionosphere-magnetosphere system.

Are studies of how the ionosphere responds to external forcing relevant?

Yes. The program supports studies of how the ionosphere responds to external forcing, including the effects of high-power radio wave modification experiments.

Does this opportunity include both natural and human-influenced effects?

Yes. The program is interested in natural variability (such as solar-driven or geomagnetic influences) and also human-influenced perturbations where they are relevant to ionospheric physics.

How is this opportunity related to the CEDAR Program?

The opportunity is closely tied to the Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) Program, a community effort focused on understanding how the atmosphere changes over short and long time scales.

What is CEDAR and why does it matter for Aeronomy proposals?

CEDAR is a long-running community program aligned with national research priorities described in the National Academies Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics. It emphasizes explaining how energy moves between atmospheric regions and promotes approaches that combine observations with theoretical, numerical, and empirical modeling.

What kinds of research approaches are emphasized under the CEDAR alignment?

The approach explicitly combines comprehensive observations with theoretical, numerical, and empirical modeling, including analysis, validation, and model-data comparison.

Is there a community database researchers can use?

Yes. CEDAR maintains a community-accessible database of observations hosted through the Madrigal framework. Researchers can use these observations for analysis, validation, and model-data comparison.

What is the Madrigal framework mentioned in the opportunity?

Madrigal is the framework through which the CEDAR community-accessible database of observations is hosted, supporting broad participation and reproducibility by enabling shared access to observational data.

Is there a major community meeting associated with this program area?

Yes. The annual CEDAR Workshop is a key community venue for presenting results, coordinating campaigns, and building collaborations.

Who typically participates in the CEDAR Workshop?

The workshop typically draws hundreds of scientists, including many graduate students and international collaborators.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this NSF grant listing?

The Funding Opportunity Number is PD 98-1521.

Which NSF portfolio or area is this opportunity within?

This is an NSF discretionary grant opportunity within the Geosciences portfolio.

What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 47.050.

Is there a single annual deadline for proposal submission?

No. Proposals are accepted at any time rather than being limited to a single annual deadline.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The listing states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning proposals may be submitted by any entity type as allowed under NSF rules and any specific eligibility notes in the full program description.

Where can applicants get help with Grants.gov access or navigation for this announcement?

Applicants who need help accessing or navigating the announcement through Grants.gov are directed to NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.