The Water Resources Research Institutes National Competitive Grants program for Aquatic Invasive Species is now accepting proposals

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources, requests proposals for research projects to address aquatic invasive species. For the 2024 National Competitive Grants Program, proposals must address one of three priority areas:

  • Effects: Research that improves our understanding of the effects of aquatic invasive species on lakes, rivers, and associated tributaries in the upper Mississippi River basin, including changes to water quantity, water quality, and ecosystem dynamics.
  • Characteristics: Research that identifies physical, biological, and chemical characteristics of water bodies that infer resistance and resilience to the distribution, establishment, and effects of aquatic invasive species in the upper Mississippi River basin. Research is needed to better understand these interactions to guide management decisions that will improve invasive species management and result in positive effects on aquatic ecosystems.
  • Management: Research on assessment of the detection, spread, and management of aquatic invasive species in the upper Mississippi River basin and the connections to human dimensions, both socially and economically. Note that this does not include physical control of AIS.

Any investigator at an accredited institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply for a grant through a Water Research Institute or Center established under the provisions of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended (http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/index.php).

Proposals involving substantial collaboration between the USGS and university scientists are encouraged. Proposals may be for projects of 1 to 3 years with discrete 12-month budget periods, and may request up to $348,000 in federal funds. Investigators much match one non-federal dollar to each federal dollar requested.

The deadline for submissions to the Iowa Water Center is May 10, 2024 5:00 p.m. Central Time. Investigators are encouraged to read through the Iowa Submission Guidelines prior to reviewing the FY2024 announcement.

Iowa Submission Guidelines – AIS

AIS 104(G) FY2024 Announcement

The Water Resources Research Institutes National Competitive Grants Program Accepting Proposals for Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) Substances

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources, requests proposals for research projects to address the challenges and opportunities of understanding the effects of per-and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances on water resources, which are poorly understood, despite the real and growing effect of this group of man-made substances on water quality and the resultant exposure to humans, other organisms, and ecosystems.

Research is needed to better understand these interactions and guide management decisions that will improve water resources at the regional or national scale.

For the 2024 National Competitive Grants Program 104(G), proposals are sought on the following specific areas of inquiry:

Media-specific methods: Enhanced methods for detection on specific media, with a clear indication of

  • New or different compounds,
  • New or different methodological approaches,
  • Lower detection levels for specific media or compounds, especially with respect to EPA health guidelines for PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid) and PFOS (Perfluorooctane Sulfonate).

Media of interest include (in ranked order) (1) Tissues/plasma, (2) sediment, (3) air or interfaces, (4) water.

Atmospheric sources: Improved understanding of atmospheric exchange in PFAS distribution and fate. This may include methods to determine transport of PFAS to the atmosphere and to subsequent receiving waters, such as a water method that determines “new” compounds based on their likelihood to occur in the atmosphere.

Processes oriented at molecular level: Process-oriented research of PFAS fate, transport, and effects, with emphasis on molecular-level understanding of PFAS precursor transformation, sorption dynamics, or mechanisms of bioaccumulation and(or) biological/ecological effects, or biodegradation of PFAS along source to receptor pathways and identification of mitigation methods. Any investigator at an accredited institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply for a grant through a Water Research Institute or Center established under the provisions of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended (http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/index.php).

Proposals involving substantial collaboration between the USGS and university scientists are encouraged. Proposals may be for projects of 1 to 3 years in duration with discrete 12-month budget periods, and may request up to $310,000 in federal funds. Investigators much match one non-federal dollar to each federal dollar requested.

The deadline for submissions to the Iowa Water Center is May 10, 2024, 5:00 p.m. Central Time. Investigators are encouraged to read through the Iowa Submission Guidelines prior to reviewing the FY2024 announcement.

Iowa Submission Guidelines

PFAS FY2024 Announcement

 

The Water Resources Research Institutes: National Competitive Grants Program (104G) Accepting Proposals

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources, requests proposals for research projects to address improving and enhancing the nation’s water supply and availability, as well as promoting the exploration of new ideas that address or expand our understanding of water problems.

For the 2024 National Competitive Grants Program 104(G), proposals must address one of the following priority areas:

National-scale evaluation of water budget: Retrospective or predictive analyses using hydroclimate-forcing data sets, with emphasis on CONUS404, which was developed in a USGS- NCAR collaboration. Additional guidance includes

  • Comparison of different water budget models, evaluation of relative model predictive skill and identification of specific opportunities for improvements.
  • Incorporation of how uncertainty in hydroclimate-forcing propagates to water budget components.
  • Evaluate scale-dependent uncertainties in water-budget predictions when using CONUS404. (e.g. How much more uncertainty at HUC12 versus HUC 8, which variables, and are specific uncertainties regional?).

Rasmussen, R.M., Liu, C., Ikeda, K., Chen, F., Kim, J., Schneider, T., Gochis, D., Dugger, A., and Viger, R., 2023, Four-kilometer long-term regional hydroclimate reanalysis over the conterminous United States (CONUS), 1979-2020: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9PHPK4F.

Socieoeconomics: Integrate ongoing USGS research and data collection in order to assess socioeconomic and ecological vulnerability to compounding extreme events and develop adaptation measures. This proposed project should undertake new research (e.g., Water Use and Social and Economic Drivers Program) to understand the vulnerability of urban (e.g., trans-basin diversions), agricultural (e.g., reservoir management), and ecological (e.g., endangered species) water-use sectors to drought and compounding hazards such as wildfire. Additional guidance includes:

  • Qualitative techniques to develop parameters or metrics for feedback inputs into hydrologic models (e.g. surveys/interviews/focus groups to understand how consumers change their behaviors around water use in response to supply shortages).
  • Construct utility functions of actual decision-makers/consumers that are used in the model, rather than hypothetical versions.
  • Exploration of close-loop versus open-loop hydrologic models in different geographic contexts.

Model advancement: Explore methods to develop new hydrologic models in a geographic area and provide information on promising modeling approaches to inform science questions specific to a region. Examples include:

  • Natural language processing methods to assimilate and identify succinct hydrologic science issues in an area of interest, and additional AI/ML to provide a modeling pathway based on attributes of hydrologic model capacities.)
  • Rapid model development methods to quickly provide information regarding potential high-value data collection and guide further model development in a given geographic area.

Levels of priority are not assigned, and the order of listing does not indicate the level of priority.

Any investigator at an accredited institution of higher learning in the United States is eligible to apply for a grant through a Water Research Institute or Center established under the provisions of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended (http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/index.php).

Proposals involving substantial collaboration between the USGS and university scientists are encouraged. Proposals may be for projects of 1 to 3 years in duration with discrete 12-month budget periods, and may request up to $310,000 in federal funds. Investigators much match one non-federal dollar to each federal dollar requested.

The deadline for submissions to the Iowa Water Center is May 10, 2024 5 p.m. Central Time. Investigators are encouraged to read through the Iowa Submission Guidelines prior to reviewing the FY2024 announcement.

104(G) Iowa Submission Guidelines

104(G) FY2024 Announcement