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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the name of this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Gulf Coast CESU funding opportunity associated with Funding Opportunity Number (FON) G14AS00067.

Which agency offered the award?

The awarding agency was the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specifically connected to the USGS National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) through a cooperative agreement.

What type of funding instrument was used?

The opportunity used a cooperative agreement instrument under a discretionary funding opportunity.

What was the main purpose of the project?

The aim was to strengthen the science behind how hurricanes affect coastal wetlands by improving the ability to rapidly assess and predict hurricane-driven changes in estuarine and wetland systems. The intended users of these improved tools included planners and resource managers making protection, management, and restoration decisions.

How does this opportunity relate to Hurricane Sandy?

The work was funded with Hurricane Sandy Disaster Recovery Act (DRA) dollars under CFDA 15.979 (Hurricane Sandy Program) and aligned with a USGS theme addressing impacts to coastal ecosystems, habitats, and fish and wildlife, particularly for Department of the Interior lands and trust resources.

What kinds of research were sought?

The opportunity emphasized highly technical, model-driven research focused on developing high-resolution, process-based numerical models for hurricane-related coastal processes.

Which coastal processes were specifically highlighted for modeling?

The models were intended to represent key hurricane-related processes including wind forcing, wave dynamics, storm surge, hydrodynamics (water movement), and sediment transport (erosion, movement, and deposition of mineral sediments).

What is meant by “high-resolution, process-based numerical models” in this context?

In this opportunity, “high-resolution, process-based numerical models” refers to models designed to simulate physical processes that drive coastal change during hurricanes (such as waves, surge, and sediment transport) at detailed spatial scales suitable for analyzing wetlands and marsh environments.

What was the central modeling challenge the opportunity focused on?

A central challenge was accurately representing flow resistance in coastal marshes, since water moving through dense marsh vegetation behaves differently than water moving over open seabed.

What did the opportunity request regarding flow resistance in tidal salt marshes?

It called for an innovative approach to characterize the flow resistance properties of tidal salt marshes and to parameterize bottom resistance associated with marsh soils, so models can more defensibly simulate friction, drag, and energy loss during storm-driven flooding and wave action.

What kinds of marsh characteristics were expected to be translated into model parameters?

The opportunity described translating real marsh conditions into numerical parameters, including vegetation type, stem density, canopy structure, soil roughness, and related features that influence resistance and drag.

Why is parameterizing resistance important for hurricane wetland modeling?

Because resistance (from vegetation and soils) affects how water and waves move through marsh landscapes during storms, which in turn influences flooding behavior, erosion and deposition patterns, and overall wetland stability or degradation during hurricane events.

What was the key scientific deliverable related to sediment and vegetation?

A key deliverable was improving understanding of the interaction between mineral sediment movement and vegetation growth and distribution, particularly the feedback loops that determine marsh resilience or degradation during hurricanes.

How do storms affect sediment in marshes according to the opportunity?

Storms can strip sediment away from marsh surfaces or deposit sediment onto them. Either outcome can change marsh stability, including weakening marshes through erosion or helping build elevation through deposition.

How does vegetation interact with sediment processes in this project’s scope?

Vegetation can slow water, trap sediment, and stabilize soils, while erosion or burial can damage plant communities and shift where different species can persist. The project aimed to capture these two-way interactions in modeling approaches.

What is the “wetland morphology model” mentioned in the opportunity?

It refers to a model that simulates how wetland shape, elevation, and physical structure change over time, using critical inputs on water flow and sediment dynamics.

How were the process models intended to connect to the wetland morphology model?

The intent was to supply the morphology model with key inputs on hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics, forming an integrated hurricane wetland modeling system capable of examining how hurricanes alter wetland morphologic dynamics over time.

What types of wetland changes was the integrated modeling system expected to examine?

Examples provided included channel formation, marsh edge retreat, interior ponding, erosion and deposition patterns, and elevation change.

What was the longer-term practical payoff expected from this work?

The longer-term payoff was better rapid assessment and prediction tools for hurricane impacts on coastal ecosystems, supporting scenario analysis and informing restoration strategies that account for storm risk and sediment/vegetation dynamics.

What was the estimated total funding amount?

The estimated total funding amount was $80,000.

How many awards were expected?

The opportunity stated an expectation of making one award.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity stated that no cost sharing or matching was required.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was limited to partners within the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network.

Why was eligibility restricted to Gulf Coast CESU partners?

The opportunity described CESUs as structured partnerships for collaborative research, technical assistance, and education among federal agencies and participating institutions. The restricted eligibility reflected that the award was intended to be carried out within the CESU framework rather than as an open competition.

When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

It was posted on May 5, 2014, and the closing date was May 16, 2014.

When was the opportunity archived?

The opportunity was later archived on July 5, 2014.

Who was the listed contact for access help or administrative support?

The listed contact was Faith Graves, reachable at 703-648-7356 and fgraves@usgs.gov.

What geographic or ecosystem focus did the project emphasize?

The project focus was on coastal wetlands and tidal salt marsh systems, with emphasis on hurricane-driven changes in estuarine and wetland environments.

What specific modeling outputs or capabilities does the opportunity imply?

Based on the description, the work implied modeling capabilities that represent storm forcing (wind, waves, surge), water movement, and sediment transport in marsh settings, along with defensible parameterization of vegetation- and soil-related resistance, feeding into morphology change simulations.