Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, North and West Alaska CESU | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the funding opportunity number for this grant?

The Funding Opportunity Number is 10HQPA0089.

2) Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?

The sponsoring agency is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

3) What type of award is being offered (grant, contract, cooperative agreement)?

This opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, with work expected to be carried out in close coordination with USGS scientists and ongoing federal research efforts.

4) What program network is this opportunity associated with?

This is a USGS discretionary research award offered through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network, specifically the North and West Alaska CESU.

5) What is the main purpose of this award?

The core purpose is to strengthen and better integrate cooperative research and long-term status and trends monitoring into the Yukon River Basin Project (YRB) Climate Change Science Plan under the USDI/USGS Climate Effects Network (CEN).

6) What geographic area is the work focused on?

The work is focused on the Yukon River Basin, with emphasis on Alaska boreal ecosystems within the basin.

7) How much funding is available?

USGS anticipated making a single award with an estimated total funding amount of $95,000.

8) How many awards did USGS anticipate making?

USGS anticipated making a single award.

9) Is there a cost sharing or matching requirement?

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

10) When was the opportunity posted and when was it due?

The opportunity was posted on June 28, 2010, with a closing date of July 12, 2010. It was archived on August 11, 2010.

11) What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement in practical terms?

It means the recipient is expected to work in close coordination with USGS scientists and align with ongoing federal research efforts, rather than operating as a fully independent project.

12) What kind of partner is USGS looking for?

USGS is looking for a CESU partner that can plug into existing Yukon River Basin field data collection and analysis and expand it in ways that improve tracking of climate-driven changes across Alaska boreal ecosystems.

13) What kinds of datasets or measurements are emphasized?

The emphasis is on building or refining ground-based forest measurement datasets that connect to broader climate and carbon questions, including carbon cycle studies and the interpretation and verification of satellite-based (remote sensing) change detection products.

14) Is dendrochronology a central requirement of this opportunity?

Yes. A central technical focus is dendrochronology and related tree-growth monitoring, including demonstrated capability collecting and analyzing tree-ring measurements and other growth indicators.

15) Which tree species are specifically important for the proposed work?

The announcement highlights major species driving carbon uptake and storage in the Alaska boreal forest portion of the Yukon River Basin, including non-commercial black spruce and broadleaf species such as Alaska birch and aspen.

16) Does USGS want small, isolated site studies?

No. The announcement indicates USGS is not looking for small, isolated site studies. It emphasizes experience at large regional spatial scales so field observations can be compared against satellite-derived datasets and used to evaluate landscape-scale patterns and trends.

17) What are the priority scientific directions called out in the announcement?

The opportunity highlights several priorities, including: updating legacy tree-ring datasets to incorporate more recent Alaska climate anomalies; ensuring sufficient time depth (roughly a 200-year perspective); and investigating mechanisms behind climate influences on tree growth (including approaches like stable isotope analysis).

18) Why is updating legacy tree-ring datasets mentioned?

Updating legacy datasets is intended to ensure tree-ring records capture the influence of more recent Alaska climate anomalies, keeping historical records relevant to current conditions.

19) What does the roughly 200-year time depth requirement aim to accomplish?

The roughly 200-year perspective is meant to place recent forest changes into a long-term historical context, rather than treating modern changes as isolated events.

20) What kinds of methods are suggested to understand climate influences on tree growth?

The announcement specifically mentions investigating mechanisms behind climate influences on tree growth, including the use of stable isotope analysis and similar approaches to help separate temperature, moisture, and other drivers and connect growth changes to carbon uptake dynamics.

21) How does this opportunity connect forest monitoring to remote sensing?

Ground-based forest measurement datasets are intended to be connected to broader climate and carbon questions and used in the interpretation and verification of satellite-based change detection products, enabling comparisons between field observations and satellite-derived datasets at regional scales.

22) Does the opportunity involve glacier research as well?

Yes. The award is explicitly tied to broader USGS climate impacts work, including glacier research conducted by CEN and the Alaska Science Center.

23) What role is the recipient expected to play in relation to glacier studies?

The recipient is expected to work collaboratively with USGS and other investigators to provide landscape context for glacier studies, help calibrate relationships between climate variables and biological responses (tree growth and carbon uptake), and apply plausible future climate scenario data to project ecological and cryospheric changes.

24) How are future climate scenarios expected to be used in this work?

The description indicates the work should apply plausible future climate scenario data to project likely ecological and cryospheric (glacier-related) changes, supported by calibration, validation, and modeling tied to combined forest and glacier datasets.

25) Who is expected to benefit from glacier volume and monitoring datasets produced through the broader effort?

The description states these datasets will be important for scientists, resource managers, and policymakers, including those involved in National Park management and decision-making at multiple spatial scales.

26) What is the opportunity trying to improve overall?

The intended value is both retrospective and forward-looking: improving understanding of how glacier volume responds to evolving climate conditions and enabling better predictions of future glacier change under projected climate scenarios, supported by calibration, validation, and modeling tied to forest and glacier datasets.

27) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to participating partners in the North and West Alaska CESU Program. The listing notes "Others" but clarifies eligibility through CESU partnership requirements.

28) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA listing is 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection).

29) Who is the point of contact for access issues?

The listed point of contact for access issues is Faith Graves, Contract Specialist, at 703-648-7356.