Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Piedmont South Atlantic Coast CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 08HQPA0035) is a US Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement issued through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network, specifically the Piedmont South Atlantic Coast CESU. It supports work tied to the USGS Carolinas Coastal Change Processes Project, a five-year research effort focused on understanding how the coasts of North and South Carolina change over time. The larger project is centered on how sediment moves and reshapes the shoreline and nearshore environment, looking at the connected system from the beach and surf zone out to the inner shelf. To do that, USGS is combining geophysical surveys, oceanographic field studies, and predictive modeling to better explain and forecast coastal evolution.

The immediate need described in the announcement is technical assistance in two closely linked areas: (1) field-based observations of physical oceanographic processes related to sediment movement very close to the seafloor, and (2) numerical modeling support to help reconstruct past conditions (hindcasting) and improve future predictions of coastal change. On the observational side, the focus is on bottom boundary layer processes, especially sediment resuspension near the bed. In practical terms, USGS is looking for a partner that can help measure how sediments are stirred up off the seafloor under waves and currents, which is a key mechanism controlling how sand and finer material are transported and ultimately where erosion or deposition occurs.

A central requirement of the work is the use of acoustic instrumentation, specifically a multi-frequency acoustic backscatter profiler used to measure vertical profiles of suspended sediment concentration near the bottom. The announcement indicates that this instrument must be deployed on oceanographic-quality tripods that can operate on the seafloor and support multiple sensors. Beyond deployment, the assistance being sought includes the full operational chain: deploying the instrument, maintaining it in the field, operating it through the observation period, recovering it, calibrating it, processing the resulting time-series data, and helping interpret the measurements. A particularly emphasized element is calibration: the applicant is expected to perform qualified calibrations of the multi-frequency acoustic profiler in a proven facility, which implies access to established calibration infrastructure and experience demonstrating that acoustic backscatter signals can be reliably converted into quantitative sediment concentration estimates.

On the modeling side, the technical assistance is aimed at developing and implementing numerical models that can be calibrated against the field observations. In other words, the observational data are not being collected in isolation; they are intended to serve as ground-truth for the modeling effort. The successful partner would help align model output with measured conditions, improving confidence in hindcasts and forecasts of coastal change across the Carolinas study area. This linkage between measurements and models is a major theme of the opportunity: field data inform model calibration, and calibrated models enhance predictive capability relevant to shoreline and shelf sediment dynamics.

Funding for the award is listed as 35,000 total, with an award ceiling and floor both set at 35,000, and USGS expects to make one award. While the broader USGS project spans five years, the announcement notes that only the currently available funding is 35,000 and that additional years of support may be possible depending on satisfactory progress and the availability of funds. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement stated. The opportunity is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development and uses a cooperative agreement instrument, which typically indicates substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project period (for example, coordination on field plans, data handling, and integration with USGS science objectives).

Eligibility is restricted to organizations that are participating partners of the Piedmont South Atlantic Coast CESU Program. CESUs are structured partnerships designed to connect federal agencies with universities and other partners to provide research, technical assistance, and education in support of resource and science needs, so applicants must already be part of that CESU network to be considered eligible under this announcement.

Key administrative details included in the listing are: Posted and created on June 10, 2008, with an original and current closing date of June 20, 2008, and an archive date of July 20, 2008. The CFDA number is 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection). The listed agency is the Geological Survey. For access issues or additional help with the full announcement, the contact provided is Faith Graves, Contract Specialist, at 703-648-7356.

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