Paleo Perspectives on Climate Change | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - NSF Paleo Perspectives on Climate Change (P2C2) (Funding Opportunity Number 10-574)

What is the Paleo Perspectives on Climate Change (P2C2) funding opportunity?

P2C2 is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity that supports interdisciplinary research using evidence preserved in Earth materials and living systems to better understand how climate has changed in the past. The program focuses on extracting and interpreting signals of past climate variability from paleoclimate archives and translating those insights into knowledge that can improve understanding of the climate system.

Who is the funding agency for this opportunity?

The funding agency is the National Science Foundation (NSF).

What is the Funding Opportunity Number?

The Funding Opportunity Number is 10-574.

What is the central scientific idea behind P2C2?

The central idea is that geological, chemical, and biological records contain detailed signals of prior climate variability. By analyzing these records, researchers can better understand mechanisms behind past climate shifts, the pace of those shifts, the sensitivity of the climate system to different types of forcing, and how major components of the Earth system responded during substantial climate changes.

What types of evidence or records does P2C2 emphasize?

P2C2 emphasizes evidence preserved in paleoclimate archives, including examples such as sediments, ice cores, fossils, geochemical tracers, and other geological, chemical, and biological records that store information about past climate conditions.

What kinds of research questions does P2C2 aim to address?

Funded projects aim to clarify: (1) the mechanisms behind past climate shifts, (2) how quickly those shifts occurred, (3) how sensitive the climate system is to different types of forcing, and (4) how major parts of the Earth system responded when climate conditions changed substantially.

Is P2C2 focused only on data collection, or also on modeling?

P2C2 places a major emphasis on making paleoclimate information directly useful for improving and testing climate models. The solicitation encourages work that produces model-ready datasets and also supports research that synthesizes paleoclimate data together with modeling results.

What are the two key scientific objectives highlighted in the solicitation?

The solicitation highlights two key objectives: (1) developing comprehensive paleoclimate datasets that can serve as model test datasets in a manner analogous to instrumental observations used for modern climate model evaluation, and (2) producing ambitious syntheses that integrate paleoclimate data with modeling results to generate deeper understanding of longer-term and higher-magnitude climate variability in the geologic record.

What does it mean to create paleoclimate datasets for model testing?

It means producing well-documented, accessible reconstructions and compilations that climate modelers can use to validate simulations of climate conditions outside the relatively short instrumental observation period.

What does P2C2 mean by "ambitious syntheses"?

Within P2C2, ambitious syntheses are efforts that bring paleoclimate data together with modeling results to move beyond isolated case studies and toward integrative insights about how the climate system behaves across large spans of time and significant environmental change.

What funding instrument is used for this NSF opportunity?

This is a discretionary NSF opportunity that uses the grant funding instrument.

How is this opportunity categorized administratively?

The opportunity is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA 47.050 (Geosciences) and CFDA 47.078 (Polar Programs).

Why are Polar Programs (CFDA 47.078) relevant to P2C2?

The listing indicates relevance of polar archives and processes to paleoclimate questions, which aligns with the importance of records such as ice cores and other polar-related climate archives.

What is the estimated total funding amount for this opportunity?

The estimated total funding amount is $9,750,000.

How many awards were anticipated?

The opportunity anticipated approximately 35 awards.

What is the minimum and maximum expected award size?

The expected award floor was $20,000 and the expected award ceiling was $1,000,000.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. Cost sharing or matching was not required.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility was described as unrestricted, meaning it was open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications contained in the full solicitation text (NSF Publication 10-574).

Where are the official eligibility clarifications found?

Any additional eligibility clarifications are contained in the full solicitation text, identified as NSF Publication 10-574.

When was this opportunity first posted?

The initial posted date in the record is June 15, 2010.

What were the proposal deadline dates listed for this opportunity?

Full proposal deadlines were listed for October 18 in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

What is the current closing date shown in the record?

The record indicates a current closing date of October 18, 2012 for that cycle.

What should applicants do if they have access issues or submission-related problems?

The listing directs applicants to contact NSF grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

What is the overall purpose of using paleoclimate archives in this program?

The purpose is to use preserved evidence of past climate to understand prior climate variability and change, including causes, rates, sensitivity to forcing, and Earth system responses, and to turn that understanding into resources that can improve and test climate models.

Does the opportunity explicitly encourage work beyond isolated case studies?

Yes. The program statement notes that the synthesis objective is intended to move beyond isolated case studies and toward integrative insights about climate system behavior across large ranges of time and environmental change.