Opportunity Information: Apply for R13SF30030
Apply for R13SF30030
- The Bureau of Reclamation Lower Colorado Region in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Colorado River Basin Streamflow Projection Under IPCC CMIP5 Scenariors" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.530 Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP).
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 6, 2013 and posted on Sep 6, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 20, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $80,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $80,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- This is a notice of intent to award, no competition is being sought.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity titled "Colorado River Basin Streamflow Projection Under IPCC CMIP5 Scenariors" is a Bureau of Reclamation (Lower Colorado Region) project focused on improving long-term understanding and projection of Colorado River basin water availability under climate change. The core motivation is that the Colorado River is the primary water supply for much of the U.S. Southwest, and multiple studies have pointed to increasing risk of chronic drought and reduced river flows as the region warms. This project is designed to look both backward and forward in time: it will retrospectively diagnose historical streamflow behavior and then project future streamflow in key Colorado River sub-basins, explicitly separating and examining the roles of natural climate variability and human-driven (anthropogenic) climate change.
A central scientific goal is to determine how changes in the Southwest climate are affecting precipitation patterns in both the cool season and warm season, and how those precipitation shifts translate into streamflow changes within individual sub-basins. Particular attention is placed on whether extremes (very wet or very dry periods) could be amplified by interactions between climate change and well-known natural ocean-atmosphere cycles, especially the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Variability (PDV). In practical terms, the project is looking for evidence that the timing and intensity of droughts or pluvials may not only change over time but may also become more tightly linked to these modes of variability in ways that matter for water operations and planning.
Technically, the work uses a physically based modeling framework that combines regional climate modeling with hydrologic modeling. On the climate side, the project uses dynamical downscaling: a regional atmospheric model is driven (forced) by outputs from coarser global climate models associated with IPCC CMIP5 scenarios. The intent is to translate global projections that typically operate at very coarse spatial resolution (hundreds of kilometers) into much finer, more decision-relevant regional climate information (on the order of single to tens of kilometers). This finer resolution is especially important in the Southwest, where complex terrain strongly shapes precipitation, snow accumulation, and runoff processes, and where coarse global models can miss key regional patterns.
On the hydrology side, projected and historical climate inputs are used to run the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model (Liang et al., 1994), a widely used large-scale hydrologic model that can represent subgrid variability in factors like vegetation, topography, precipitation distribution, and soil moisture storage capacity. The modeling approach aims to better capture how water moves through landscapes and watersheds, including how precipitation becomes runoff and streamflow, how soils store and release moisture, and how land surface characteristics influence hydrologic response. The announcement also emphasizes that regional climate modeling adds value for representing both cool- and warm-season precipitation in the Southwest, referencing prior research that demonstrates improved realism when using regional models for this area.
The planned outputs include long-term, continuous regional climate projection datasets extending 100 years or longer, covering areas relevant to both the United States and Mexico. These products are intended to provide climate information at spatial scales that are more usable for real-world decision making than global model outputs, and they are also designed to be transferable to other applications beyond water supply planning, such as ecological and broader hydrologic studies that require fine-resolution, long-duration climate inputs. In addition, the project will produce streamflow projections for selected Colorado River sub-basins, with the explicit purpose of informing water resource planning and management across the Colorado River system.
Administratively, this opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number R13SF30030) is a discretionary grant under the Water Conservation Field Services Program (CFDA 15.530). It anticipated a single award with total funding of $80,000, with an award floor and ceiling both set at $80,000, and no cost-sharing requirement. The posting date was September 6, 2013, with a closing date of September 20, 2013, and an archive date of October 20, 2013. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," but the notice states it is a notice of intent to award and that no competition is being sought, meaning the agency planned a direct award rather than an open competitive process. The listed grants officer contact was Shawna Thompson at the Bureau of Reclamation (Lower Colorado Region).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Colorado River Basin Streamflow Projection Under IPCC CMIP5 Scenariors."
Which federal agency is offering this grant?
The grant is associated with the Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The project focuses on improving long-term understanding and projection of Colorado River Basin water availability under climate change, including retrospective diagnosis of historical streamflow behavior and projections of future streamflow in key Colorado River sub-basins.
Why is the Colorado River a focus of this work?
The Colorado River is described as the primary water supply for much of the U.S. Southwest, and multiple studies cited by the notice indicate increasing risk of chronic drought and reduced river flows as the region warms.
What time perspective does the project take (past vs. future)?
The work is designed to look both backward and forward in time: it will retrospectively diagnose historical streamflow behavior and then project future streamflow for selected Colorado River sub-basins.
What is the project trying to separate or distinguish in its analysis?
The project explicitly aims to separate and examine the roles of natural climate variability versus human-driven (anthropogenic) climate change in influencing streamflow outcomes.
What climate factors are being examined in relation to streamflow?
A central goal is to determine how changes in Southwest climate affect precipitation patterns during both the cool season and warm season, and how those shifts translate into streamflow changes within individual sub-basins.
Does the project address droughts and very wet periods?
Yes. The project pays particular attention to whether extremes (very wet or very dry periods) could be amplified through interactions between climate change and natural ocean-atmosphere cycles.
Which natural climate cycles are specifically mentioned?
The notice highlights the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Variability (PDV) as key modes of natural variability of interest.
What is the practical planning question behind studying ENSO and PDV?
In practical terms, the project is looking for evidence that the timing and intensity of droughts or pluvials may change over time and may become more tightly linked to ENSO and PDV in ways that matter for water operations and planning.
What modeling approach is used for the climate component?
The project uses a physically based framework that includes regional climate modeling via dynamical downscaling, where a regional atmospheric model is driven (forced) by outputs from global climate models associated with IPCC CMIP5 scenarios.
What does "dynamical downscaling" mean in this context?
In this project, dynamical downscaling refers to using a regional atmospheric model to translate coarse global climate model projections (typically at hundreds of kilometers resolution) into finer regional climate information (on the order of single to tens of kilometers) that is intended to be more relevant for decision making.
Why is finer spatial resolution important for the U.S. Southwest?
The notice emphasizes that complex terrain in the Southwest strongly shapes precipitation, snow accumulation, and runoff processes, and that coarse global models can miss important regional patterns. Finer resolution modeling is presented as more capable of capturing those terrain-driven features.
What hydrologic model is used to translate climate inputs into streamflow?
The project uses the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model (Liang et al., 1994) to simulate hydrologic responses using both projected and historical climate inputs.
What hydrologic processes does the VIC model represent according to the notice?
The VIC model is described as able to represent subgrid variability in vegetation, topography, precipitation distribution, and soil moisture storage capacity, helping capture how precipitation becomes runoff and streamflow, how soils store and release moisture, and how land surface characteristics influence hydrologic response.
Does the opportunity claim regional climate modeling adds value for this region?
Yes. The announcement states that regional climate modeling adds value for representing both cool- and warm-season precipitation in the Southwest, referencing prior research indicating improved realism when using regional models for the area.
What kinds of datasets are expected as outputs?
Planned outputs include long-term, continuous regional climate projection datasets extending 100 years or longer.
What geographic area will the climate projection datasets cover?
The datasets are intended to cover areas relevant to both the United States and Mexico.
What spatial scale are the climate products aiming to provide?
The climate information is intended to be at spatial scales more usable than global model outputs, described as on the order of single to tens of kilometers.
Beyond water supply planning, what other uses are mentioned for the climate datasets?
The notice states the products are intended to be transferable to other applications beyond water supply planning, including ecological and broader hydrologic studies that require fine-resolution, long-duration climate inputs.
Will the project produce streamflow projections?
Yes. The project will produce streamflow projections for selected Colorado River sub-basins, with the stated purpose of informing water resource planning and management across the Colorado River system.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is R13SF30030.
What program is this grant issued under?
This is a discretionary grant under the Water Conservation Field Services Program.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The CFDA number is 15.530.
How much funding is available?
The anticipated total funding is $80,000.
Is there more than one award expected?
No. The notice anticipates a single award.
What are the award floor and ceiling amounts?
Both the award floor and the award ceiling are listed as $80,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost-sharing requirement is listed.
What were the key dates for this opportunity?
The posting date was September 6, 2013. The closing date was September 20, 2013. The archive date was October 20, 2013.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others." However, the notice also states it is a notice of intent to award and that no competition is being sought.
Is this a competitive funding opportunity?
No. The notice states it is a notice of intent to award and that no competition is being sought, indicating the agency planned a direct award rather than an open competitive process.
Who is the listed grants officer contact?
The listed grants officer contact is Shawna Thompson at the Bureau of Reclamation (Lower Colorado Region).
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