DIVISION OF OCEAN SCIENCES AND OFFICE OF POLAR PROGRAMS
Submission Date: May 1, 1995
ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY: MODELING STUDIES IN SUPPORT OF U.S. JGOFS AND U.S. GLOBEC IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN
As part of the U.S. Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (U.S. GLOBEC) and the U.S. Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (U.S. JGOFS) science programs the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Office of Polar Programs and Division of Ocean Sciences announces a call for proposals for modeling studies related to the developing science programs in the Southern Ocean. All proposals should be submitted to the NSF as detailed below.
The Southern Ocean programs of U.S. GLOBEC and U.S. JGOFS will take place in the late 1990s. This announcement is to encourage modeling studies that will advance the understanding of the biogeochemistry and the interactions between marine populations and physical processes in Southern Ocean ecosystems. In particular, modeling studies are encouraged that will advance the planning and design of multidisciplinary field programs. The goal is to develop the capability to predict the response of oceanic biogeochemical processes and marine animal populations to, as well as their influence upon, climatic change.
U.S. GLOBEC and U.S. JGOFS have held workshops to define science issues that are of importance in the Southern Ocean. Results of these workshops are available in U.S. GLOBEC Report No. 5 and U.S. JGOFS Report No. 16. These documents may be obtained from U.S. GLOBEC, Science Steering Committee Coordination Office, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 and U.S. JGOFS Planning and Coordination Office, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, respectively. International plans for Southern Ocean GLOBEC studies are described in GLOBEC International Report No. 5, which is available from GLOBEC-International Secretariat, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, P.O. Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688. All of these documents highlight modeling as an important aspect of developing Southern Ocean research programs and discuss modeling needs in light of the stated program goals.
The long-range goal for the U.S. GLOBEC program is to understand the interactions between physical processes and marine animal populations with an emphasis on predicting the effects of global change on population abundance and variability in marine ecosystems. Long-range goals for the U.S. JGOFS program are to evaluate and understand on a global scale the processes controlling the fluxes of carbon and associated biogenic elements in the ocean and to develop a capability to predict the response of oceanic biogeochemical processes to climate change. The Southern Ocean provides an opportunity to combine the goals of these two programs to address issues of climate change effects on biogeochemical cycling and marine food web processes and how these interact to control and regulate biological production.
The Southern Ocean has long been believed to be a region of significant biological production globally. However, it is not well understood how primary production in the Southern Ocean is controlled. The biological and chemical processes suggested as regulating primary production in the Southern Ocean range from nutrient and trace metal effects, physical processes such as light and turbulent mixing, and biological interactions such as grazing. It's increasingly apparent that many of the animal populations in the Antarctic marine food web have life histories that are closely tied to the large seasonal fluctuations in ice cover in the Southern Ocean. Hence, habitat variability is potentially a strong control on biological production in the Southern Ocean. Full descriptions of each of these issues and their relation to climate change are given in the reports listed above.
Following the recommendations of the national and international workshops and those from the Scientific Steering Committees for U.S. GLOBEC and U.S. JGOFS, proposals for modeling studies are solicited by this announcement in advance of field programs in the Southern Ocean. It is anticipated that modeling studies will provide guidance for the design and implementation of the field programs, both by addressing issues of sampling strategy, and by highlighting key processes and measurements necessary to understand the coupling among physical and biogeochemical processes. Modeling studies might include (but are not limited to):
In addition, studies that address issues that will advance the state of knowledge of modeling as well as provide understanding of the Southern Ocean system are encouraged. Such studies might include ecological models for data assimilation and management, and modeling techniques for matching scales between models.
Proposals should be clearly identified as being in response to this Southern Ocean program opportunity announcement. Requirements for proposal content and format should conform to the guidelines given in Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 94-2). Single copies of this document are available at no cost from the Forms and Publications Unit, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington VA 22230 or via the on-line Science and Technology Information System (STIS).
Twenty completed copies should be marked "Do not open in mail room" and sent directly to the address below. Proposals must be received at NSF by May 1, 1995. Proposals will not be forwarded to other Programs if found to be inappropriate for this announcement. Proposals received after the deadline will be returned to the sender unreviewed.
For further information contact: Dr. Polly Penhale, Polar Biology and Medicine Program, (703) 306-1033, ppenhale@nsf.gov; or Dr. Bernhard Lettau, Polar Ocean and Climate Systems, (703) 306-1033, blettau@nsf.gov; or Dr. Neil Andersen, Chemical Oceanography Program, (703) 306-1587, nanderse@nsf.gov; or Dr. Phillip Taylor, Biological Oceanography Program, (703) 306-1587, prtaylor@nsf.gov.
Proposals will be reviewed in accordance with established NSF procedures for external merit review, criteria described in the Grant Proposal Guide, and goals of U.S. JGOFS and U.S. GLOBEC programs.
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