Proposed Cooperative Institute to support NOAA Marine Research and Ecosystem Management

Funding Agency:
Department of Commerce

The important, collaborative research at the proposed CI described in this prospectus will be conducted closely with scientists at NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) and other NOAA offices to support NOAA’s strategic goals and missions in the areas of marine resource management, maintaining sustainable and resilient communities in coastal regions, fisheries assessments, sea floor process and marine acoustic research and mission support for these and other areas of marine research, with a focus on the US West Coast. In some projects, the CI may collaborate with other CIs and NOAA-funded programs supporting work along the West Coast, such as activities at Sea Grant Colleges, when it is important to consider research across the entire California Current Large Marine Ecosystems (LME). Such collaborations will include discussions with the relevant NOAA offices that are supporting specific research projects to ensure that such an arrangement would be advantageous to the research topic.

In broad strokes, the CI will help us observe, characterize, and predict marine ecosystem, oceanographic and climatic conditions as well as to provide information to better manage these systems.

A primary focus of this CI is marine ecosystem research, conservation, and management, in support of the sustainable use and stewardship of ocean and coastal resources. To this end, the CI will provide capabilities and collaborations to develop and apply new tools and approaches for monitoring ecosystem health and forecasting ecosystem change and human responses to change. This will include, but is not limited to research focused on: improved assessments and evaluation of fisheries management strategies and actions; evaluating the impact of human activities on marine habitats and ecosystems, including characterization of those habitats and ecosystems; aquaculture techniques, impacts and safety; and social science investigations relevant for the sustainability of coastal and marine communities, both natural and human. It also includes the capacity to investigate hydrothermal vent systems, their associated micro- and macro-fauna, and their impacts and contributions to marine nutrient cycling, and physical and chemical characteristics. A full range of tools, from genetic and genomic techniques to acoustics and autonomous vehicles should be used in investigating these areas.

In support of NOAA’s vision of reducing societal impacts from severe weather and other environmental phenomena, the CI will contribute to a variety of research areas. Specific research areas encompass evaluating the impacts of marine heat waves, hypoxia, and ocean acidification on LMRs, as well as the conditions leading to those severe events and understanding seafloor processes that affect phenomena such as marine earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis.

Deadline: Feb. 8, 2021

Agency Website

Areas of Interest

Research Themes of Proposed Cooperative Institute for Atmospheric and Marine Studies:

(1) Tropical Weather Observations, Analysis and Prediction

(2) Ocean and Climate Observation, Analysis and Prediction

(3) Ecosystem Observations, Modeling, Forecasting and Management

(4) Protection and Restoration of Marine Resources

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility is limited to non-Federal public and private non-profit universities, colleges and research institutions that offer accredited graduate-level degree-granting programs in NOAA-related sciences.

Amount Description

All funding is contingent upon the availability of Federal appropriations. NOAA anticipates that up to $7.4M will be available annually for this CI. The actual annual funding that the CI receives may be less than the anticipated amount and will depend on the actual projects that are approved by NOAA after the main CI award begins, the availability of funding, the quality of the research, the satisfactory progress in achieving the stated goals described in project proposals, and continued relevance to program objectives.

Funding Type

Grant

Eligibility

Faculty

Category

Curriculum Development
Engineering and Physical Sciences
Environmental & Life Sciences
Interdisciplinary

External Deadline

February 8, 2021