Federal Grant Award Summary

Oregon State University received a $421,661 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Environmental Biology under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), awarded June 15, 2026, with completion targeted for May 31, 2031. This Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) renewal grant supports collaborative research investigating ecosystem stability and tipping points in a model rocky intertidal meta-ecosystem along the North Pacific coast. The research extends a multi-decade observational dataset documenting the impacts of environmental variation—including sea star wasting disease, heat waves, and chronic temperature increases—on rocky shore seaweed and animal populations. The deliverables include continued long-term field data collection, application of artificial intelligence technology for data processing, empirical testing of theoretical models predicting ecosystem persistence and resilience, and expansion of the study to warmer southern sites to enable forecasting of future ecosystem states.

The grant generates actionable scientific products designed for resource management and policy planning, including forecasting tools, guidance documents for natural resource managers and policymakers, and evidence-based frameworks applicable to broader ecosystems experiencing similar environmental stressors. The project also delivers educational and public engagement benefits through training of next-generation scientists, community outreach initiatives, citizen science involvement, and media communications. By advancing understanding of how abiotic environmental conditions drive community-level responses in a well-documented system, this research provides both fundamental biological insights and practical planning tools for coastal resource management in the context of climate change.