Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Basin CESU | G19AS00054

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the title of this grant opportunity?

The opportunity is titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Basin CESU."

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?

The Funding Opportunity Number is G19AS00054.

Which federal agency offered this funding opportunity?

The opportunity was offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) within the Department of the Interior.

What type of award mechanism was used?

It was offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement.

What program area did the opportunity fall under?

The opportunity was described as science and technology research and development.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed for the opportunity is 15.808.

What was the main purpose of the award?

The core purpose was to support collaborative research with a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) partner to examine the hydroclimatic history of south-central Alaska from the late Pleistocene to the present.

What does "hydroclimatic history" mean in the context of this project?

In this project, it refers to reconstructing how climate and water conditions (hydroclimate) have changed over thousands of years, using natural records that preserve information about past environmental conditions.

What natural records were central to the research approach?

The work centers on lake sediment records, which can serve as natural archives of past environmental conditions.

Where is the broader USGS effort based?

The larger effort is led by personnel at the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center (GECSC) in Denver, Colorado.

What larger initiative or umbrella effort did this project fall under?

This project sits within the broader initiative titled "Holocene Hydroclimate of Western North America."

What other kinds of studies were being pursued under the broader effort?

USGS researchers were pursuing multiple lake and wetland sediment studies in Alaska to understand long-term relationships among climate, environmental change, and water resources.

What is the role of isotopes in this research?

A key emphasis is the use of isotope-based proxies derived from environmental water signals preserved in sediments. These isotope methods can provide clues about past precipitation, evaporation, temperature influences, and broader hydroclimate variability over time.

Why did the program description mention a need for additional technical support?

Because isotope-based analyses and their interpretation are specialized, the description notes that additional technical support was needed to carry out and interpret these methods.

How was the funded partner expected to work with USGS?

The partner was expected to work directly with USGS scientists in a hands-on, integrated way, rather than operating as an independent contractor.

What kinds of project activities were included across the research workflow?

The description highlights participation across field work, laboratory-oriented sedimentological analyses, geochemical analyses, isotopic analyses, and downstream steps such as data processing, interpretation, and publication.

What might the field work involve?

The opportunity indicates field work would likely involve lake or wetland coring and sample collection.

What disciplines or perspectives were implied to be important for this work?

The opportunity emphasizes interdisciplinary problem solving across multiple temporal and spatial scales, reflecting the need to combine methods and perspectives from areas such as geology, geochemistry, climatology, hydrology, and related fields.

Was there a workforce development or training component?

Yes. The cooperative agreement explicitly included workforce development, supporting training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

What kinds of experiences were students expected to gain?

Students were expected to gain experience in field techniques, analytical methods, and scientific communication through collaboration with USGS GECSC researchers.

What are examples of practical outcomes mentioned or implied by this arrangement?

The description indicates this type of collaboration often results in shared field campaigns, joint datasets, coauthored publications, and mentoring relationships that build skills in sediment core handling, proxy development, isotope interpretation, and research writing.

What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The listed award ceiling was $20,000.

How many awards were expected to be made?

One award was expected.

When was the opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on May 6, 2019.

What was the original closing date?

The original closing date was May 20, 2019.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was limited to CESU partners. The listing identifies eligible applicants as "Others," with clarification in the full eligibility text indicating the competition was targeted to organizations already participating in the CESU network.

Was this opportunity open to the general public or all institutions?

No. Based on the eligibility restriction, it was not broadly open to the general public or all institutions; it was targeted to CESU partner organizations.

What geographic area was the research focused on?

The scientific focus was south-central Alaska, using sediment records to reconstruct conditions from the late Pleistocene to the present.

How does this Alaska-focused project relate to the "Holocene Hydroclimate of Western North America" initiative?

The Alaska lake and wetland sediment studies were part of a larger USGS effort to understand long-term hydroclimate relationships across Western North America, with this project contributing a deep-time record from south-central Alaska.