Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- G26AS00123
- Agency
-
US Geological Survey
Department of the Interior
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $299,971
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement
- Category
-
- Science and Technology and other Research and Development
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- Rachel Miller rachel_miller@ios.doi.gov
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The U.S. Geological Survey is soliciting applications from Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) partners for a cooperative agreement to evaluate the operational readiness of low-cost autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with water quality sensors in Lake Champlain, with applications due June 29, 2026.
Eligible applicants must be participating partners of the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Basin CESU. No cost share is required. The award ceiling is $299,971 for a single 24-month cooperative agreement, with funds fully obligated at the time of award. Four JaiaBot BIO autonomous underwater vehicles will be vested to the recipient upon project completion.
The project addresses real-time characterization of water quality degradation during episodic events—high flow riverine plumes and summer/fall cyanobacteria blooms. Lake Champlain serves as the test bed given its high watershed-to-lake-area ratio, existing long-term and high-frequency stationary monitoring infrastructure, and dynamic eutrophic bays. Work is performed at Lake Champlain and its tributaries.
Three primary tasks structure the project: conducting targeted drone deployments during high flow events in outlet river plumes; conducting targeted deployments during summer low flow conditions in eutrophic bays comparing cyanobacteria and hypoxia monitoring with different oxygen sensors; and comparing autonomous underwater vehicle insights with satellite and fixed monitoring platform data to determine relative strengths and limitations. Deliverables include raw data collected using the autonomous underwater vehicles and field meters plus a summary report of findings.
Evaluation criteria (total 100 points) are Purpose, Objectives, and Relevance (30 points); Technical Approach (25 points); Budget Justification and Clarity (20 points); and Qualifications, Experience, and Past Performance (25 points). Applicants must include biographical sketches, current and pending support disclosures, a Project Abstract Summary not exceeding one page, a Data Management Plan, and a budget narrative with an approved negotiated indirect cost rate of 17.5%.
The award operates under CFDA 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection). Applications submit through Grants.gov using Funding Opportunity Number G26AS00123. Contact Rachel Miller (rachel_miller@ios.doi.gov) for grants management questions and R. Russell Lotspeich (rlotspei@usgs.gov) for technical inquiries.
Synopsis
The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for the research outlined below.Timely characterization of the spatial distribution and severity of water quality degradation in response to episodic events is a challenge for the water quality monitoring community given their episodic nature and dynamic and broad potential distribution that is not necessarily visible. Autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with in-situ sensors have been long used by the oceanographic community for geospatial characterization of hydrodynamic, biological and biogeochemical conditions, but due to their high historical cost, this technology has been underutilized in monitoring at the scale of local water quality threats to inform management and the public.The U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Mission Area is interested in partnering with the CESU to evaluate the operational readiness of a low-cost autonomous underwater vehicle called the JaiaBot BIO. The JaiaBot BIO has been developed with the ability to conduct rapid assessments of the distribution and severity of episodic water quality degradation associated with high flow event riverine plumes and summer/fall cyanobacteria blooms. Lake Champlain is an ideal test bed for this technology given its high watershed to lake area/volume ratio (highly sensitive to episodic disturbance), the co-existence of long-term and high frequency stationary monitoring infrastructure within the lake and its tributaries, and eutrophic bays with well-characterized and highly dynamic (in both time and space) cyanobacteria blooms that are partially driven by transient and spatially heterogeneous bottom water hypoxia.The project's overall objective is to examine the operational readiness of commercially available autonomous underwater vehicle technology coupled with in-situ water quality sensors for quantifying the distribution and severity of events that compromise water quality in near real time. Four (4) JaiaBot BIO autonomous underwater vehicles will be purchased for use during the project and vested to the recipient at the conclusion of the project. The project duration will be 24 months from the receipt of funds.
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