Opportunity Information: Apply for G23AS00376
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is soliciting proposals under a Cooperative Agreement to support research by an eligible partner within the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network. This opportunity is focused on improving how mercury risk is predicted in managed freshwater ecosystems by building a revised, more useful framework that combines biogeochemistry, microbiology, and the influence of other stressors occurring at the same time. The overall problem the USGS is trying to address is that mercury biomagnification through aquatic food webs remains common in several freshwater settings, and mercury-driven water quality concerns continue to complicate management and restoration. The agency is looking for work that helps explain why methylmercury forms, when it forms, and how changing conditions affect that formation, since methylmercury is the key transformation that drives exposure and risk to fish, wildlife, and people.
The research emphasis is clearly targeted to three types of freshwater environments where mercury issues are persistent and management decisions are ongoing. First, the USGS highlights data synthesis and interpretation for arid-land reservoirs, signaling a need to pull together existing datasets, reconcile findings across studies, and extract more generalizable insights relevant to reservoir operations and conditions typical of arid landscapes. Second, the opportunity calls for field measurements paired with synthesis and interpretation in subtropical wetlands, where hydrology, organic matter dynamics, microbial activity, and seasonal cycles can strongly influence methylmercury production and movement through food webs. Third, the opportunity includes mine-impacted lakes, where historical or active mining can elevate mercury and related contaminants, complicating both the chemistry and biological uptake pathways. Across all three settings, the expected end goal is not just site-specific results, but a more robust predictive framework that resource managers can rely on when making decisions.
A central theme of the notice is identifying and separating the roles of internal versus external drivers that control the biogeochemical processes leading to methylmercury formation. Internal drivers include factors like water management actions (for example, water-level regulation, flow timing, reservoir drawdown schedules, and wetland inundation patterns) and co-occurring stressors (such as nutrient loading, salinity changes, dissolved organic carbon, temperature shifts, oxygen conditions, or other contaminants). External drivers include broader climate-related influences that can alter hydrology, temperature regimes, wildfire impacts, and the frequency of extreme events, all of which can change microbial activity and mercury cycling. The USGS frames this as a practical challenge shared by scientists and resource managers: without a better understanding of how these drivers interact, it is difficult to predict when and where methylmercury risk will increase, or which management levers can realistically reduce exposure.
This funding is offered as a discretionary financial assistance award using the Cooperative Agreement instrument, which typically indicates that substantial involvement by the USGS is expected during the project (for example, collaboration on study design, data integration, interpretation, or dissemination). The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.808. Eligibility is limited to participants in the Californian CESU Program, meaning applicants must already be recognized CESU partners to apply. CESUs are partnership-based structures intended to deliver research, technical assistance, and education tied to federal land and resource management needs, and this award is being issued specifically through that program.
Key administrative details from the posting include the Funding Opportunity Title "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with USGS- Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit," Funding Opportunity Number G23AS00376, and the issuing agency identified as the Geological Survey (USGS). The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $13,500,000, with the original closing date of 2023-06-19 and a creation date of 2023-05-17.Apply for G23AS00376
- The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with USGS- Californian 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 2023-05-17.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-06-19. (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 $13,500,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary financial assistance opportunity offered through a Cooperative Agreement. It solicits proposals from an eligible partner within the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network to support research on mercury risk prediction in managed freshwater ecosystems.
What is the official title of the opportunity?
The Funding Opportunity Title is "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with USGS- Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is G23AS00376.
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
The issuing agency is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), identified in the posting as the Geological Survey (USGS).
What is the main research goal USGS is trying to achieve?
The main goal is to improve how mercury risk is predicted in managed freshwater ecosystems by developing a revised and more useful predictive framework that integrates biogeochemistry, microbiology, and the influence of other stressors occurring at the same time.
Why is USGS focusing on methylmercury?
The opportunity emphasizes methylmercury because it is the key transformation that drives exposure and risk to fish, wildlife, and people. USGS is seeking work that helps explain why methylmercury forms, when it forms, and how changing conditions affect that formation.
What problem is USGS trying to address with this research?
USGS is addressing the ongoing issue that mercury biomagnification through aquatic food webs remains common in multiple freshwater settings, and mercury-driven water quality concerns continue to complicate ecosystem management and restoration decisions.
What kinds of freshwater environments are specifically targeted?
The notice highlights three types of environments where mercury issues persist and management decisions are ongoing: arid-land reservoirs, subtropical wetlands, and mine-impacted lakes.
What does USGS want for arid-land reservoirs?
For arid-land reservoirs, the emphasis is on data synthesis and interpretation. This suggests a focus on pulling together existing datasets, reconciling findings across studies, and extracting more generalizable insights relevant to reservoir operations and conditions typical of arid landscapes.
What does USGS want for subtropical wetlands?
For subtropical wetlands, the opportunity calls for field measurements paired with synthesis and interpretation. The notice points to influences such as hydrology, organic matter dynamics, microbial activity, and seasonal cycles that can strongly affect methylmercury production and movement through food webs.
What does USGS want for mine-impacted lakes?
For mine-impacted lakes, the opportunity includes research in settings where historical or active mining can elevate mercury and related contaminants, which can complicate both the chemistry and biological uptake pathways.
Is the expected outcome limited to individual study sites?
No. Across all three settings, the stated end goal is not only site-specific results but a more robust predictive framework that resource managers can rely on when making decisions.
What does the notice mean by a "predictive framework"?
Based on the posting, the predictive framework is intended to be a revised, more useful approach for predicting mercury (especially methylmercury) risk in managed freshwater systems, built by combining biogeochemistry, microbiology, and the influence of co-occurring stressors and broader external influences.
What types of drivers does USGS want applicants to examine?
A central theme is identifying and separating the roles of internal versus external drivers that control biogeochemical processes leading to methylmercury formation.
What are considered internal drivers in this opportunity?
Internal drivers include factors such as water management actions and co-occurring stressors. Examples named in the notice include water-level regulation, flow timing, reservoir drawdown schedules, wetland inundation patterns, nutrient loading, salinity changes, dissolved organic carbon, temperature shifts, oxygen conditions, and other contaminants.
What are considered external drivers in this opportunity?
External drivers include broader climate-related influences that can alter hydrology, temperature regimes, wildfire impacts, and the frequency of extreme events, which can in turn affect microbial activity and mercury cycling.
Why does USGS emphasize separating internal and external drivers?
The posting frames this as a practical challenge for both scientists and resource managers. Without a better understanding of how these drivers interact, it is difficult to predict when and where methylmercury risk will increase, or which management levers can realistically reduce exposure.
What is the funding instrument for this opportunity?
The funding instrument is a Cooperative Agreement.
What does it mean that this is a Cooperative Agreement?
As described in the posting, a Cooperative Agreement typically indicates that substantial involvement by USGS is expected during the project. Examples listed include collaboration on study design, data integration, interpretation, or dissemination.
What is the activity category for this funding?
The activity category is "Science and Technology and other Research and Development."
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.808.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to participants in the Californian CESU Program. Applicants must already be recognized CESU partners to apply.
What is the CESU program in this context?
CESUs are partnership-based structures intended to deliver research, technical assistance, and education tied to federal land and resource management needs. This award is being issued specifically through the Californian CESU program.
What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The posting lists an award ceiling of $13,500,000.
What are the key dates listed in the posting?
The creation date is 2023-05-17, and the original closing date is 2023-06-19.
Does the posting indicate the intended use of results by managers?
Yes. The notice repeatedly ties the research to practical decision-making, stating that the goal is a framework that resource managers can rely on when making management and restoration decisions in freshwater ecosystems affected by mercury.
Does this opportunity focus only on mercury concentrations, or on food-web risk too?
Based on the posting, it focuses on mercury risk in a food-web context, noting that mercury biomagnification through aquatic food webs is common and that methylmercury formation drives exposure and risk to fish, wildlife, and people.
What kinds of stressors are explicitly mentioned as relevant to methylmercury formation and risk?
The notice lists co-occurring stressors such as nutrient loading, salinity changes, dissolved organic carbon, temperature shifts, oxygen conditions, and other contaminants, and also points to external influences like climate-related hydrologic changes, wildfire impacts, and extreme events.
Is synthesis of existing information part of the expected work?
Yes. The opportunity explicitly emphasizes synthesis and interpretation, especially for arid-land reservoirs, and also calls for field measurements paired with synthesis and interpretation for subtropical wetlands.
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