Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Califronian CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released a discretionary research funding opportunity under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, specifically the Californian CESU, to support work that improves scientific understanding of kelp forest ecosystems along the central California coast. The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically means USGS expects substantial involvement in the project as it is carried out (for example, coordination on study design, data needs, or interpretation), rather than simply issuing a grant with minimal agency interaction. The overall scientific intent is to better understand how nearshore marine communities, with an emphasis on kelp, respond to environmental variation, particularly the physical forcing associated with ocean waves.

The core research focus is wave conditions in and around kelp forests and how well modeled wave products represent what is actually happening on the water. The opportunity highlights two main goals. First, the project should characterize the spatial distribution of wave period and wave amplitude across the study region in nearshore environments off central California. This is expected to be done using in situ wave sensors placed within kelp forests, meaning field-based measurements are central to the effort. Second, the project should evaluate the performance of wave model predictions by comparing modeled results to empirical field observations and to predicted wave energy products from the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) Nowcast models. In practical terms, this is a validation and benchmarking exercise: the study is meant to quantify how closely the model outputs align with measured conditions and identify any systematic differences.

A key reason for doing this comparison is to assess whether CDIP Nowcast model outputs provide sufficiently accurate wave energy information for use in ecological analyses, including analyses informed by data needs from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The announcement signals that the results will help determine the extent to which the CDIP Nowcast products are reliable as-is versus the extent to which they should be corrected or calibrated before being used to interpret kelp ecosystem patterns, drivers, and change over time. By tying physical oceanography measurements to biological questions about kelp response, the work supports better ecological inference and improves confidence in downstream analyses that depend on wave exposure or wave energy as a predictor.

Administratively, this opportunity was posted June 29, 2015 under Funding Opportunity Number G15AS00118, titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Califronian CESU" (with that spelling as shown in the source record). Applications were due July 17, 2015, and the opportunity was later archived September 29, 2015. USGS anticipated making one award, with an estimated total funding amount of $400,000. The listing does not specify an award ceiling or floor (both shown as $0 in the record), and it states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and it is associated with CFDA 15.808, U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection.

Eligibility is restricted to organizations that are official participating partners in the Californian CESU network. CESUs are collaborative partnerships designed to facilitate research, technical assistance, and education by linking federal agencies with universities, nonprofits, and other partners; this particular opportunity is only open to those entities that already have partner status within the Californian CESU. For full announcement details, the record points to Grants.gov, and the contact listed for access issues is Faith Graves at 703-648-7356 or fgraves@usgs.gov.

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