Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU | G19AS00053

Opportunity Information: Apply for G19AS00053

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G19AS00053) is a small, targeted research solicitation from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) within the Department of the Interior. It is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category (CFDA 15.808). The intent is to support a CESU partner organization that can carry out research in cosmogenic radionuclide geochronology, a set of techniques used to determine how long rock or sediment has been exposed at Earths surface and to estimate rates of processes like erosion and landscape change.

A central motivation for the award is the practical value of geologic maps produced by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP). USGS emphasizes that these maps are not just academic products; they are foundational tools used to assess and manage natural resources such as groundwater, surface water, and mineral resources. They also help communities and agencies recognize and plan for natural hazards, and they inform decisions about where and how to site infrastructure. In this context, the work supported by the grant is meant to strengthen the scientific basis behind mapping, particularly where the timing of surface processes matters.

The opportunity specifically highlights surficial geology, meaning the most recently deposited materials and landforms that generally record roughly the last 2 million years of Earth history. Surficial deposits and landforms preserve evidence of relatively recent landscape evolution, including erosion histories that shaped places like National Parks and records of how landscapes responded to past shifts in climate and tectonic activity. By applying cosmogenic radionuclide geochronology to these deposits, researchers can estimate exposure ages, calculate erosion rates, and place time constraints on when key geomorphic events occurred. Those time constraints are important for turning mapped features into quantitative histories of landscape change rather than purely descriptive interpretations.

USGS frames the expected value of this work in terms of public benefit and management relevance. Better constraints on the history and rate of landscape evolution can inform background rates of erosion and soil loss, improve understanding of sediment delivery to major river networks, and refine assessments of hazards tied to extreme events such as catastrophic floods and earthquakes. The results can also be used to test and improve predictive models of land surface change, which are increasingly important for anticipating how landscapes might respond to future environmental change and for guiding land use and resource management decisions.

Administratively, the opportunity is limited to eligible applicants within the CESU network (listed broadly as "Others" with additional eligibility details typically provided in the full notice). USGS anticipated making a single award, with an award ceiling of $15,000. The opportunity was created on May 6, 2019, with an original closing date of May 20, 2019, indicating a short application window consistent with a focused, partner-based cooperative research effort.

• 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, Great Lakes Northern Forests 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 06, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 20, 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 $15,000.00 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 G19AS00053

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