Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU | G19AS00065

Opportunity Information: Apply for G19AS00065

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G19AS00065) is a discretionary research funding announcement from the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specifically through the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis. It is offered as a cooperative agreement, which generally means the USGS expects to be actively involved with the recipient during the project (for example through collaboration, shared technical input, or coordination around deliverables), rather than simply issuing a grant with minimal ongoing federal participation. The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and it is associated with CFDA 15.808.

The core purpose of the award is to support a synthesis effort focused on wetland flux data collected from 34 wetland sites around the world. The synthesis is meant to integrate measurements spanning multiple time scales, from daily dynamics up through interannual variability. In practical terms, that implies assembling, harmonizing, quality-checking, and organizing disparate datasets so they can be compared and analyzed consistently across locations, time periods, and measurement approaches. The intended end product is a structured database that captures these wetland flux observations in a form that can be reused broadly by the modeling and research community.

A central motivation for building this synthesized database is to improve how land-surface models represent wetland methane emissions at global scales. Methane is a major greenhouse gas, and wetlands are among the most important natural sources, yet estimates of wetland contributions can vary widely because wetland processes are complex and sensitive to hydrology, temperature, vegetation, and microbial activity. By consolidating flux measurements across a global network of sites and time frames, the resulting database can be used to parameterize models (helping determine realistic values for key model parameters) and to benchmark model performance (testing whether models reproduce observed patterns and variability). This in turn supports the development, evaluation, and validation of biogeochemical models used for understanding and projecting methane dynamics under changing climate and land conditions.

Beyond modeling improvements, the opportunity emphasizes producing scientific results that help characterize wetlands and reduce uncertainty about wetlands in the global methane cycle. That includes identifying common controls on methane fluxes, understanding differences across wetland types and climate zones, and quantifying how methane emissions respond to environmental changes over time. The results are also positioned to yield metrics that are useful for decision-relevant contexts, particularly for safeguarding ecosystem services wetlands provide, such as water filtration, flood attenuation, biodiversity habitat, carbon storage, and other benefits that depend on healthy wetland function. In other words, while the immediate technical output is a synthesis database, the broader impact is to provide stronger, more defensible science for climate assessments, ecosystem management, and conservation planning.

In terms of award specifics, the announcement listed an award ceiling of $50,000 and anticipated making one award. The opportunity was posted on May 13, 2019, with an original closing date of May 27, 2019, indicating a relatively short application window. Eligibility is labeled as "Others" with clarification expected in an additional eligibility text field, which typically means participation may be restricted to certain categories (often CESU-member institutions or other specified partners), and applicants would need to verify fit with the program requirements.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 13, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 27, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $50,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for G19AS00065

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