Cooperative Agreement issued with Partner of the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G21AS00327

Opportunity Information: Apply for G21AS00327

This grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G21AS00327) is a discretionary Cooperative Agreement offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specifically through the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis. The project focus is on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) at the global scale and how it has been shaped by land-use change over long time horizons. The central aim is to evaluate how past land use, present-day land use, and projected future land-use scenarios affect both the overall rates and the geographic distribution (spatial patterns) of terrestrial BNF across Earth. The work is positioned as filling a specific knowledge gap: despite the importance of BNF as a major natural input of nitrogen to ecosystems, there is limited understanding of how human-driven land-use change has altered where and how much BNF occurs globally, and how those effects have shifted through time.

The expected technical work involves integrating existing or previously developed models that estimate global spatial patterns of BNF with long-term global land-use and land-cover mapping products. The opportunity calls for analyses spanning from deep historical reconstructions (as far back as 10,000 BCE) through modern conditions (up to 2015), and then extending those analyses forward using scenario-based projections out to 2100. In practical terms, the project is expected to produce maps and grid-cell level estimates that show (1) what BNF rates and total nitrogen inputs would look like in a hypothetical world without land use, and (2) how those rates and inputs change over time as land use expands and intensifies. This implies an emphasis on spatially explicit outputs, temporal change detection, and scenario comparisons that can separate land-use influence from baseline conditions.

The award is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) framework, specifically tied to the Pacific Northwest CESU. CESUs are partnership networks designed to support research, technical assistance, and education, and they typically involve collaboration between federal agencies and eligible partner institutions. Because it is a CESU opportunity, eligibility is restricted: applicants must already be participating partners within the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Program. The funding instrument type being a cooperative agreement also signals that substantial involvement from the federal partner (USGS) is anticipated during the project, beyond what is typical for a standard grant.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development and is associated with CFDA number 15.808. The posting was created on February 10, 2021, with an original closing date of February 24, 2021. The award ceiling is listed as $49,500, and the agency did not specify an expected number of awards in the provided details.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement issued with Partner of the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" 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 2021-02-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-02-24. (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 $49,500.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G21AS00327

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