Reduction of Tropical Cloud and Precipitation Biases in Global High Resolution Models | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this DOE funding opportunity trying to accomplish?

This Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science opportunity (through the Office of Biological and Environmental Research, BER) supports research aimed at reducing persistent, systematic biases in how global and regional climate models simulate tropical clouds and precipitation. The focus is on practical improvements that reduce recurring errors in rainfall patterns, cloud properties, and related radiation processes in the tropics, because these tropical errors can ripple outward and degrade broader climate projections.

Why is the tropics a focus area for this FOA?

The tropics play an outsized role in the Earth's energy balance and large-scale atmospheric circulation. When models have systematic errors in tropical rainfall, cloud behavior, or cloud-radiation interactions, those errors can propagate beyond the tropics and affect climate projections more broadly. This FOA targets those long-standing tropical issues directly.

Which DOE programs is this FOA associated with?

The FOA is positioned under two DOE programs: Regional and Global Climate Modeling (RGCM) and Atmospheric System Research (ASR). It is designed to connect detailed atmospheric process studies with the needs of global climate model development.

What kinds of modeling approaches are invited?

The FOA invites projects that examine tropical clouds and precipitation using high-resolution modeling approaches, including:

• Uniform high-resolution global models
• Variable-resolution global models
• Global cloud-resolving models
• Regional models

What does the FOA mean by "improve process representations"?

A key expectation is improvement in the representations of atmospheric processes in models. This includes refining the physical and microphysical parameterizations (or explicit treatments) that govern cloud formation, convection, precipitation, and cloud radiative effects. The intent is to move beyond documenting problems and toward model changes that measurably reduce biases.

What observational data sources are expected to ground the work?

The FOA expects proposals to be grounded in observations from DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program, particularly tropical ARM field campaigns and data from the ARM Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) fixed sites.

How are ARM observations expected to be used in the proposed research?

Strong proposals would typically describe how ARM observations will be used to diagnose what models are getting wrong, determine why the errors occur, and then test modifications that reduce biases. Examples of potential causes mentioned include issues in convection triggering, entrainment, cloud microphysics, or coupling between clouds and radiation.

Is this FOA more focused on theory or on model changes that can be tested?

The FOA emphasizes practical model improvements rather than purely theoretical work. The expectation is that improved understanding will translate into changes that can be tested in realistic, high-resolution modeling configurations, with a clear pathway into broader Earth system modeling efforts.

What role does collaboration play in this announcement?

Collaboration is a major theme. DOE emphasizes fostering interactions between atmospheric process researchers (including those focused on clouds, convection, and observational constraints) and global modelers (who implement and evaluate changes in full climate models). The goal is to ensure that process understanding leads to implementable and testable model improvements.

Does the FOA encourage common test cases or shared evaluation periods?

Yes. The FOA implicitly supports using ARM campaign periods and the ARM TWP site records as common testbeds. This approach helps different teams compare results and build cumulative evidence about which model changes actually reduce tropical precipitation and cloud biases.

How much total funding is available under this FOA?

The estimated total program funding is $2,000,000.

What is the expected award size?

Individual awards are expected to fall between $250,000 and $500,000 (floor and ceiling).

What type of funding instrument is used?

The instrument type is a discretionary research grant.

Is cost sharing required?

No cost sharing requirement is specified for this opportunity.

When was the opportunity posted, and what were the key dates?

The opportunity was posted on February 15, 2012. The closing date was March 30, 2012. It was later archived on June 29, 2012.

What is the CFDA number and activity category for this FOA?

The CFDA number is 81.049 (Office of Science Financial Assistance Program). The activity category is science and technology research and development.

Who is eligible to apply as the lead applicant?

Eligibility is broadly open to domestic entities, but there are notable exclusions from serving as the lead applicant. Other federal agencies, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), and certain 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations involved in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 cannot serve as the lead applicant.

Can federal labs, FFRDCs, or DOE National Laboratories participate in projects?

Yes. While certain organizations (such as FFRDCs) cannot serve as the lead applicant, the FOA strongly encourages inter-institutional collaborations and notes that collaborations may include universities, industry, nonprofit organizations, federal laboratories, FFRDCs, and DOE National Laboratories.

If an ineligible organization participates, are there limits on its role?

Yes. When an ineligible organization participates, its role is expected to be limited to filling critical expertise gaps and should represent less than 30 percent of the overall effort. This indicates DOE expects the primary leadership and majority of work to remain with eligible lead institutions.

Who should applicants contact for administrative questions versus scientific/program questions?

The FOA provides DOE contacts for different needs: a grants analyst (Kimberlie J. Laing) for access and administrative issues, and a program manager (Renu R. Joseph) for programmatic fit and scientific direction.

What kinds of model deficiencies does the FOA explicitly call out?

The FOA highlights systematic errors in tropical rainfall patterns, cloud properties, and related radiation processes. It also provides examples of possible underlying issues to investigate, such as convection triggering, entrainment, cloud microphysics, and cloud-radiation coupling.

What is the overall "best fit" description of a strong project under this FOA?

Based on the description provided, a strong project would use ARM tropical observations (including tropical field campaigns and TWP fixed-site records) together with high-resolution modeling to diagnose persistent model biases, identify mechanisms causing those biases, and implement and test model changes that measurably reduce tropical cloud and precipitation errors, ideally through collaboration between process researchers and global model developers.