Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, North Atlantic Coast CESU | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary funding opportunity offered under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, specifically through the North Atlantic Coast CESU. The opportunity number is G13AS00057.

Which USGS program is this offered under?

The opportunity is offered under the CESU Program via the North Atlantic Coast CESU, which is a partnership framework intended to support research, technical assistance, and education that meet resource management and related science needs.

What type of award is being used?

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement. This typically indicates that USGS expects to have substantial involvement in the project during performance, rather than acting as a strictly hands-off funder.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is tied to CFDA 15.808, which covers USGS research and data collection activities.

What is the main purpose of the project?

The core purpose is to support a CESU partner in synthesizing existing data and conducting research that clarifies what is currently known about how ecosystems respond to climate change, using a comprehensive analysis of long-term experimental datasets.

Is the focus on new fieldwork or existing data?

The emphasis is on synthesizing and analyzing existing long-term experimental datasets rather than funding a brand-new field campaign.

What kind of research activities are expected?

The opportunity is focused on science and technology research and development centered on synthesizing results across experiments, evaluating the strength of evidence on ecosystem responses to climate change, and improving interpretation of long-term experimental findings.

What does USGS mean by identifying "experimental artifacts"?

The description highlights the need to identify where experimental findings may be influenced by artifacts, such as unintended effects caused by experimental setup, measurement approaches, site constraints, or treatment side effects, and to distinguish these artifacts from true ecosystem responses.

What are the expected outcomes or deliverables?

Based on the description, a key implied deliverable is improved interpretation guidance for the research community, clarifying which conclusions are well-supported and which should be treated more cautiously due to limitations in experimental design or comparability across studies.

How is this work expected to support future climate change research?

A major forward-looking goal is for the synthesis to inform the next generation of climate change experiments and predictive models by translating lessons from long-term experiments into recommendations that improve experimental designs and strengthen assumptions and parameterization used in predictive ecological models.

What kinds of recommendations might the project produce for future experiments?

The description points to recommendations such as better controls, improved replication, more realistic treatments, and stronger measurement protocols, all aimed at improving the reliability and usefulness of knowledge about ecosystem climate responses.

How many awards did USGS anticipate making?

USGS anticipated making one award.

What is the estimated total funding amount?

The estimated total funding amount is $49,350.

Is there an award ceiling or floor?

No. The posting lists both the award ceiling and award floor as 0, meaning no specific ceiling or floor was stated in the listing.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

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

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is restricted to organizations that are official participating partners of the North Atlantic Coast CESU. While the listing notes "Others," it clarifies that applicants must be part of the North Atlantic Coast CESU network.

What is the opportunity posting date?

The opportunity was posted on June 13, 2013.

What is the application deadline?

The application deadline was June 24, 2013.

Where can applicants find the full announcement and application instructions?

The posting referenced Grants.gov for access to the full announcement and any detailed application instructions.

Who is the point of contact for questions?

The designated contact is Faith Graves at USGS. Phone: 703-648-7356. Email: fgraves@usgs.gov.

What is the overall theme of the funded work?

The overall theme is improving the reliability and usefulness of knowledge about ecosystem responses to climate change by rigorously evaluating evidence from long-term experimental research, separating experimental artifacts from true responses, and using that synthesis to strengthen future experiments and predictive models.