Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forest CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forest CESU grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 08HQPA0049) was a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary funding announcement for a single cooperative agreement focused on applied research in water quality and nearshore processes. The project centered on southern Lake Michigan beaches and aimed to improve scientific and practical understanding of how E. coli moves, persists, and re-enters the water column in the nearshore environment. In plain terms, the government was looking to fund research that could explain and predict when and why bacteria levels rise at beaches, with an emphasis on the physical processes near the lake bottom that can stir contaminants back into the water.

The scope of work had two tightly linked tasks. First, the awardee was expected to prepare models of E. coli transport at southern Lake Michigan beaches. These models could be empirical (data-driven statistical relationships) or dynamic (process-based models that represent transport mechanisms over time). The intent was to produce tools that describe how bacteria are carried and spread by currents, waves, and mixing, and how concentrations at the shoreline respond to changing environmental conditions. Second, the project called for developing an understanding of bottom boundary layer hydrodynamics as they relate to bacteria, meaning the research needed to examine the thin zone of water just above the lakebed where friction, turbulence, and sediment movement strongly influence what gets suspended into the water. This bottom boundary layer is important because bacteria can be attached to sediments; when waves or currents increase turbulence, sediments can resuspend and bring bacteria back into the water column, contributing to beach advisories and closures.

A key deliverable was not just a general model, but model outputs that yielded important coefficients or parameters tied to bacterial fate and transport. The announcement specifically highlighted resuspension, deactivation, and dilution. Resuspension refers to the process by which previously settled particles (and attached bacteria) are lifted from the bottom back into the water. Deactivation refers to loss of bacterial viability over time due to environmental stressors such as sunlight (UV), temperature, predation, salinity/chemistry, or other factors. Dilution refers to how mixing and water movement reduce concentrations by dispersing bacteria into a larger volume of water. By estimating these coefficients, the project would support better predictions of bacteria spikes and help translate physical measurements into actionable water-quality forecasts.

Administratively, the opportunity was issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, which is designed to link federal agencies with partner institutions for research, technical assistance, and education. Eligibility was limited to participating partners of the Great Lakes Northern Forest CESU network (the announcement lists eligibility as "Others," clarified by the requirement that applicants be CESU partners). The funding level was fixed: an estimated total of $70,000, with an award floor and ceiling both set at $70,000, and an expectation of one award. There was no cost-sharing or matching requirement, so applicants were not required to contribute non-federal funds to be considered.

The timeline indicates this was a short-fuse, archived opportunity posted on August 12, 2008, with an original and current closing date of August 21, 2008, and an archive date of September 20, 2008. The CFDA number associated with the program was 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection), and the activity category was Science and Technology and other Research and Development. The listed point of contact for access issues was Faith Graves, Contract Specialist, at 703-648-7356.

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