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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - NSF MARGINS Program (Funding Opportunity 07-546)

What is the NSF MARGINS Program?

The National Science Foundation's MARGINS Program (Funding Opportunity 07-546) was a geosciences research grant opportunity designed to advance continental margin science beyond mostly descriptive and qualitative interpretations. Its goal was to promote predictive, testable understanding grounded in theory, quantitative modeling and simulation, and tightly integrated field observations and experiments.

What problem was MARGINS trying to address in continental margin research?

MARGINS was created to move the field from largely descriptive studies toward research that can make predictions and test hypotheses. The program emphasized theory-driven approaches, quantitative models, and coordinated observations and experiments that work together as part of a single research design.

How did MARGINS define "continental margins" for research purposes?

While continental margins are often labeled by tectonic setting (convergent, divergent, or translational), MARGINS emphasized that many of the same physical and chemical processes operate across all margins. The program focused on studying these shared, fundamental processes in locations where they can be observed most clearly, rather than organizing research strictly around tectonic categories.

What scientific processes were central to the MARGINS Program?

MARGINS focused on a relatively small set of core processes considered central to how continental margins form, deform, and evolve over time:

• lithospheric deformation
• magmatism
• mass and energy fluxes (broadly defined)
• sedimentation
• fluid flow

What does it mean that MARGINS treated margins as "complete, interconnected systems"?

The program encouraged a systems-level approach that links deep Earth dynamics with surface processes and the sedimentary record. This approach aimed to explain not only what continental margins look like, but why they develop the way they do and how they change through time.

What kind of research approach did the solicitation encourage?

The solicitation called for interdisciplinary teams and a "new class of major experiments" in which geophysics, geochemistry, geology, oceanography, modeling, and laboratory analysis are designed to inform each other rather than run in parallel.

Why did MARGINS emphasize interdisciplinary teams?

The program's main scientific goals required integration across multiple fields so that field observations, numerical modeling, and laboratory analyses could directly constrain and refine one another. This was intended to enable deeper, testable understanding of shared margin processes that would be difficult to achieve with isolated, single-discipline studies.

What are "focus sites" in the context of the MARGINS Program?

Focus sites were a limited number of locations where intensive, coordinated research efforts were concentrated. The MARGINS science plan proposed focusing resources at these sites so investigators could collaborate within large, multidisciplinary efforts, with close interaction among field experimentalists, modelers, and laboratory analysts.

Why did the program prioritize fewer locations instead of many scattered projects?

MARGINS prioritized fewer locations with deeper, coordinated study to help the community answer questions that would be difficult or impossible for isolated projects to resolve. Concentrating efforts at focus sites was intended to make integration practical and maximize scientific return from major experiments.

How was the MARGINS Program organized scientifically?

The program was organized around four major scientific initiatives. Each initiative was tied to specific focus sites selected as strong natural laboratories for the processes of interest.

What is the Rupturing Continental Lithosphere Experiment (RCL), and where were its focus sites?

The Rupturing Continental Lithosphere Experiment (RCL) targeted the Gulf of California and the Red Sea. It investigated how continental lithosphere stretches, breaks, and transitions toward seafloor spreading, including the roles of faulting, magmatism, and thermal structure.

What is the Subduction Factory Experiment (SubFac), and where were its focus sites?

The Subduction Factory Experiment (SubFac) focused on the Izu-Bonin-Mariana system and the Nicaragua-Costa Rica margin. It studied how subduction zones process material and volatiles, generate magmas, and transfer mass and energy between the slab, mantle wedge, and crust.

What is the Seismogenic Zone Experiment (SEIZE), and where were its focus sites?

The Seismogenic Zone Experiment (SEIZE) centered on Nankai and also the Nicaragua-Costa Rica region. It aimed to understand the part of subduction megathrusts that produces great earthquakes, including physical properties, fluid pressures, and deformation behavior that control where and how seismic slip occurs.

What is the Source to Sink Experiment (S2S), and where were its focus sites?

The Source to Sink Experiment (S2S) used the Fly River/Gulf of Papua New Guinea and the Waipaoa River system in New Zealand. It connected erosion and sediment production on land to transport pathways and deposition in marine basins, linking climate, tectonics, landscape evolution, and stratigraphic architecture.

How much funding was anticipated for the MARGINS Program?

The solicitation anticipated roughly $6.0 million per year in total program funding for the foreseeable future at the time the opportunity was active.

How many awards were expected?

The solicitation estimated approximately 10 awards.

What was the minimum award size (award floor)?

The listed award floor was $500,000, reflecting an emphasis on relatively large projects aligned with major-experiment and multi-investigator efforts.

What NSF directorate and CFDA number applied to this opportunity?

The opportunity fell under NSF's Geosciences directorate and was listed under CFDA 47.050.

What type of funding instrument was used?

The solicitation used the grant instrument.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching was required.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility followed standard NSF proposal rules. For most proposal types, eligible proposers were those identified in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide categories. One notable condition was that proposals for postdoctoral fellowships had to be submitted by a US academic institution.

Were there any special eligibility conditions for postdoctoral fellowships?

Yes. Proposals for postdoctoral fellowships had to be submitted by a US academic institution.

What was the proposal deadline?

The original full proposal deadline was July 1, 2007. The solicitation also indicated July 1 as an annual deadline thereafter while the program was active.

Is this funding opportunity still active?

No. The opportunity has been archived, with an archive date of May 14, 2012.

Where could applicants find additional program details when it was active?

The solicitation directed applicants to the community science plan and initiative descriptions hosted on the MARGINS website (as referenced in the announcement).

What kind of projects did MARGINS appear designed to support based on its structure?

Based on the emphasis on major experiments, focus sites, interdisciplinary integration, and a $500,000 award floor, the program was structured to support relatively large, coordinated, multi-investigator research efforts rather than small, isolated projects spread across many locations.