Cooperative Ecoystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This is a US Geological Survey (USGS) Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) cooperative agreement opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests" (Funding Opportunity Number G15AS00040). It focuses on research and data collection under CFDA 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection).

2) What is the main goal of the project?

The project aims to build a national-scale, openly accessible stream oxygen database that supports calculations of stream metabolism. The emphasis is on assembling and synthesizing existing USGS sensor records, not on starting new field deployments.

3) Which USGS group is leading the work?

The work is led through the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis.

4) What scientific questions is this work intended to support?

The scientific motivation is to use dissolved oxygen, temperature, and discharge information to estimate metabolism across streams and rivers in the conterminous United States. Those metabolism results are intended to support synthesis on big-picture questions, including regional carbon cycling and whether human-driven landscape changes show up as measurable trends in stream metabolism.

5) What types of data are being compiled for the database?

The project calls for acquiring time series of dissolved oxygen, water temperature, and stream discharge from USGS Water Science Center databases.

6) Is this project about collecting new field data?

No. The opportunity is specifically aimed at assembling and synthesizing existing USGS sensor records rather than launching new field deployments.

7) What are the main activities expected under the award?

Core activities include data compilation, quality screening, standardization, modeling, and producing open-data deliverables. The project also includes synthesis work that links metabolism patterns to contextual datasets.

8) What does "quality screening and standardizing" mean in this context?

Based on the description, it means screening and standardizing USGS dissolved oxygen, temperature, and discharge records so they can be used consistently at a national scale for metabolism estimation.

9) What is the key modeling challenge highlighted in the opportunity?

A key analytical step is estimating the gas exchange velocity between streams and the atmosphere, which is described as a major source of uncertainty when deriving metabolism from oxygen time series.

10) What approach does the opportunity specify for estimating gas exchange?

The solicitation specifies using Bayesian approaches to estimate gas exchange and to generate probability distributions. This implies uncertainty should be quantified rather than reporting only single best estimates.

11) What happens after metabolism estimates are produced?

After metabolism estimates are developed, the work extends into synthesis, including linking metabolism patterns to contextual datasets such as land use and water quality, and evaluating spatial patterns and possible temporal trends associated with anthropogenic pressures.

12) What is the funding instrument for this opportunity?

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement.

13) What does a cooperative agreement imply for how the project will be carried out?

The description notes that a cooperative agreement typically indicates substantial federal involvement in the project’s execution, such as coordination on data access, methods, deliverables, or integration with USGS systems.

14) How much funding is available?

The opportunity anticipates a single award with an estimated total funding amount of $64,906.

15) How many awards are expected?

The opportunity anticipates a single award.

16) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement is stated in the provided information.

17) What is the CFDA number and program name?

The opportunity is administered under CFDA 15.808, titled "U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection."

18) What is the activity category for this funding?

The activity category is listed as Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

19) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is restricted to partners within the Great Lakes/Northern Forests CESU Program. The narrative clarifies that applicants must already be participating partners in that specific CESU network.

20) Are non-CESU organizations eligible to apply?

Not based on the information provided. The opportunity limits eligibility to organizations that are already partners in the Great Lakes/Northern Forests CESU Program.

21) When was the opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted (and created) on March 16, 2015.

22) What was the application closing date?

The original and current closing date was March 30, 2015.

23) When was the opportunity archived?

The archive date was June 16, 2015.

24) Where were additional details available?

Additional details were available via Grants.gov at the time of posting.

25) Who is the point of contact for questions about this opportunity?

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

26) What is the intended end product or deliverable?

The opportunity describes producing a national-scale, openly accessible stream oxygen database to support stream metabolism calculations, along with associated modeling and synthesis outputs (including uncertainty-aware estimates through Bayesian methods).

27) What geographic scope is implied for the analysis?

The metabolism estimation and synthesis are described as spanning streams and rivers across the conterminous United States, using existing USGS records and national-scale standardization.