Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Gulf Coast CESU | G19AS00069

FAQs: Gulf Coast CESU Cooperative Agreement (Funding Opportunity Number G19AS00069)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research award under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) program, specifically the Gulf Coast CESU. The project is focused on advanced coastal science to improve understanding and prediction of how barrier islands change over time.

Who is the issuing agency?

The opportunity is issued by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

What is the Funding Opportunity Number?

The Funding Opportunity Number is G19AS00069.

What type of funding instrument will be used?

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement. This typically indicates that USGS expects substantial involvement during the project, such as collaborating on technical direction, data sharing, choices related to model development, and review of deliverables.

What does "substantial involvement" by USGS generally mean for a cooperative agreement?

Based on the description provided, USGS may be involved in areas such as technical collaboration and guidance, data sharing, decisions about model development and coupling approaches, and review of project deliverables.

What is the main goal of the project?

The core goal is to improve the ability to predict barrier island evolution along U.S. coastlines by advancing coupled, state-of-the-art numerical models that represent interacting coastal processes.

What scientific approach does the opportunity emphasize?

The opportunity emphasizes an integrated approach that considers multiple drivers and mechanisms together rather than treating them separately. The intent is to better reflect how barrier island systems respond to both day-to-day conditions and extreme events.

Which coastal processes are explicitly included in the scope?

The processes explicitly called out include sea-level rise, tides, waves, river flow, sediment transport, and storm-driven morphological change.

What kinds of barrier island changes is the project expected to address?

The project is expected to address short-term storm impacts (including changes to island morphology, overwash, breaching, and inundation patterns) as well as longer-term evolution across many storm cycles.

How is sea-level change incorporated into the expected research?

The longer-term perspective is expected to include sea-level change, recognizing that rising baseline water levels can amplify storm impacts, shift shoreline positions, and alter sediment budgets and transport pathways over time.

What specific modeling component is required or strongly expected?

A key expected outcome is the development of a new integrated modeling framework that incorporates the ADCIRC model.

What is ADCIRC in the context of this opportunity?

ADCIRC (Advanced Circulation) is described as a widely used model for simulating coastal water levels and storm surge, and it is positioned here as an essential component for assessing barrier island response across different timescales.

What is meant by a "coupled" numerical modeling approach here?

In this opportunity, "coupled" refers to using integrated numerical models that represent interacting processes (for example, water levels, waves, flows, sediment transport, and morphological change) in a connected way to better predict barrier island evolution.

How does the opportunity define a successful outcome?

A key expected outcome is a new integrated modeling framework that incorporates ADCIRC and supports assessments from event-scale storm response through longer-term evolution under sea-level change.

What is the practical purpose of improving these models?

The practical purpose is to improve decision support for coastal management. Better predictive tools can inform planning for storm impacts, long-term resilience strategies, and prioritization of mitigation or restoration actions as storms and sea-level rise increasingly affect communities, habitats, and infrastructure.

What program area does this opportunity fall under?

The activity falls under Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 15.808.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to applicants that are partners within the CESU network, specifically the Gulf Coast CESU.

Is this opportunity open to organizations outside the CESU network?

No. The description states the opportunity is limited to eligible applicants that are partners within the CESU network, specifically the Gulf Coast CESU.

How many awards are expected?

One award is expected, indicating funding is intended for a single project team rather than a broad multi-award program.

What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $150,000.

When was the opportunity created and when did it close?

The opportunity was created on May 28, 2019, and the original closing date was June 11, 2019, reflecting a short application window typical of targeted CESU competitions.

What kinds of deliverables are implied by the opportunity description?

The description suggests deliverables likely include modeling advancements such as model coupling workflows, calibration and validation efforts, scenario simulations, and outputs that can be applied to real barrier island management questions on U.S. coastlines.

How does the opportunity connect storm-scale impacts to longer-term change?

The project aims to connect event-scale storm response (such as inundation, overwash, and breaching) to multi-decadal trends by considering repeated storm cycles and sea-level change within an integrated modeling framework.

What kinds of management questions could this work support, based on the description?

Based on the description, the improved modeling tools are intended to support coastal management decision-making related to storm impact planning, long-term resilience strategies, and prioritizing mitigation or restoration actions for barrier islands and affected coastal areas.

Does the opportunity specify a geographic focus?

The science focus is on barrier island evolution along U.S. coastlines, and eligibility is tied to the Gulf Coast CESU partnership network. The description does not narrow the research to a single specific barrier island location beyond that context.

What does it mean that the research should be of "mutual interest" to USGS and the selected partner?

It means the proposed work should align with USGS coastal science priorities while also fitting the expertise and needs of the selected Gulf Coast CESU partner, with the expectation that the collaboration produces relevant and usable outcomes.