Jekyll Creek Thin Layer Placement Monitoring and Analysis of Ecosystem Response | W81EWF 23 SOI 0012

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 23 SOI 0012

The Jekyll Creek Thin Layer Placement Monitoring and Analysis of Ecosystem Response opportunity is a small, targeted research award focused on measuring how well Thin Layer Placement (TLP) works as a coastal marsh restoration and resilience tool. TLP is a beneficial use of dredged material where a thin layer of sediment is applied over an existing marsh to raise marsh elevation and help the marsh keep pace with relative sea level rise and subsidence. The larger motivation behind the project is that coastal wetlands provide critical habitat and nursery areas for estuarine and marine life, and they also serve as natural protective buffers that can reduce impacts from storms, hurricanes, and chronic shoreline erosion. While the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has successfully constructed TLP projects in multiple states under the Regional Sediment Management program, the agency is seeking more post-construction scientific monitoring to better understand ecological recovery and overall effectiveness, and to translate lessons learned into best management practices.

The work site is in southeast Georgia at Jekyll Creek, part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, near Jekyll Island in Glynn County. The study design includes two comparable areas: a roughly 5-acre thin-layer placement (treatment) site and a roughly 5-acre control site. The sediment placement was completed in 2018 on property owned and managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR). Jekyll Island itself is a large coastal system with extensive tidal marsh (over 1,750 acres of salt and brackish marsh), so the project is meant to produce information that is relevant beyond a single small plot, especially for future beneficial-use and resilience decisions along the Georgia coast and elsewhere.

A key element of this effort is that the interdisciplinary project team intentionally did not plant Spartina immediately after sediment placement. The idea was to observe natural recovery and document how long it takes the marsh vegetation and associated habitat functions to rebound without active planting. Based on observed trends, the team expects full recovery in about five years. Monitoring has already been conducted for three years, and this grant is intended to fund two additional years of once-annual field monitoring for both the treatment and control sites. The selected recipient is expected to coordinate closely with the USACE Savannah District and GA DNR throughout planning, field execution, and reporting to ensure methods are consistent and results are usable for management.

The monitoring is organized around three objectives. Objective 1 covers physical and geomorphic conditions that influence marsh sustainability and resilience. The funded work would include field research evaluating relative marsh elevation and elevation range, tidal range, local rates of sea level rise, sediment accretion rates, bulk density, flood analysis, and mean sea level relationships referenced to NAVD88. The Savannah District and GA DNR will provide key elevation and imagery datasets such as surveys, LiDAR, aerial imagery, and infrared imagery, with the awardee responsible for integrating these products with field measurements and analyses.

Objective 2 addresses biological recovery and habitat function indicators that reflect whether the marsh is returning to a healthy, functioning state. The opportunity calls for standardized field assessments of vegetation structure and productivity including stem density, stem height, percent cover, and both aboveground and belowground biomass measured at end-of-season peak biomass. It also requires analysis of the fraction of belowground biomass that is refractory (a durability/decay-resistance indicator relevant to long-term soil organic matter and elevation maintenance). In addition, the study includes invertebrate monitoring, specifically calling out common marsh organisms such as fiddler crabs and periwinkle snails, along with other snail species, because these organisms are closely tied to marsh condition, sediment dynamics, and food-web support.

Objective 3 focuses on turning the measurements into decision-ready products. The awardee must prepare reports for each monitoring period that clearly document methods, analytical workflows, and any software used, and that synthesize how the observed physical and biological factors affect the effectiveness of TLP in meeting ecosystem and habitat function goals. The final reporting is expected to go beyond raw results by providing practical recommendations to resource managers on best management practices for thin layer placement, including factors that may improve outcomes or reduce risks. The recipient may also be asked to present findings at public and technical meetings to keep agencies and community stakeholders informed about progress and results.

Administratively, this is a discretionary Department of Defense opportunity managed through the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), offered as a cooperative agreement, with an award ceiling of $75,000 and one expected award (Funding Opportunity Number W81EWF 23 SOI 0012; CFDA 12.630). The funding is positioned as applied science and technology research supporting USACE coastal resilience and beneficial-use dredging strategies, with a clear emphasis on comparable control-versus-treatment monitoring and practical guidance that can be applied to future TLP projects.

• The Department of Defense, Engineer Research and Development Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Jekyll Creek Thin Layer Placement Monitoring and Analysis of Ecosystem Response" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 26, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 26, 2023. (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 $75,000.00 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 W81EWF 23 SOI 0012

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