Earth and Environmental Systems Science in the Southeast U.S. | DE FOA 0003420

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003420

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research (BER) is soliciting collaborative research proposals under the funding opportunity titled "Earth and Environmental Systems Science in the Southeast U.S." (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0003420). The central aim is to take advantage of a major new observational asset in the region: beginning full operations in fall 2024, the third Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility will be deployed in the Bankhead National Forest in Alabama. DOE is looking for projects that use and connect these observations to deepen scientific understanding of how aerosols, clouds, ecosystems, watersheds, and land-atmosphere processes interact in the Southeast, and then translate that understanding into better model representations from process scale all the way up to Earth-system scales.

Scientifically, the opportunity sits at the intersection of three BER subprogram areas: Atmospheric System Research (ASR), Earth and Environmental System Modeling (EESM), and Environmental System Science (ESS). In practical terms, DOE wants proposals that combine measurements, experiments, field observations, modeling, analysis, and synthesis to tackle persistent uncertainties in regional Earth system behavior. The Southeast U.S. is a particularly important testbed because it features complex vegetation, strong land-atmosphere coupling, frequent convection and precipitation, and significant natural aerosol sources, all of which can challenge current model physics and parameterizations. A key theme throughout the announcement is improving how models represent the coupled system, including the "cross-coupling" between aerosol-cloud interactions and land-atmosphere feedbacks.

The FOA highlights four topical areas, and proposals can address one or integrate multiple topics as part of a coherent research plan. First is vegetation and land-atmosphere interactions, which includes processes such as evapotranspiration, canopy exchange, surface energy balance, and how vegetation states influence boundary layer development and cloud formation. Second is spatial heterogeneity and scaling, emphasizing the reality that the landscape is patchy and that observations and models often operate at mismatched scales; DOE is looking for approaches that can bridge plot, watershed, and regional scales and reduce scaling-related bias in model predictions. Third is convection, clouds, precipitation, and biogenic aerosols, focusing on how naturally produced aerosols and their precursors from ecosystems influence cloud properties, precipitation efficiency, and radiative effects, as well as how storms feed back on atmospheric composition and land surface conditions. Fourth is extreme events and disturbance, which can include drought, heat waves, intense rainfall, wind damage, fire, pest outbreaks, and other disruptions that alter land surface fluxes, hydrology, and atmospheric processes, with downstream impacts on regional predictability and longer-term system trajectories.

From a deliverables standpoint, the program is aimed at producing improvements that matter for modeling capability, not just site-specific findings. That can include better parameterizations, more defensible process representations, stronger observational constraints for model evaluation, and analysis frameworks that help quantify uncertainty and attribution in coupled land-atmosphere-aerosol-cloud behavior. While the announcement does not prescribe a single methodology, it clearly signals interest in research that connects field observations (including ARM Mobile Facility measurements) to mechanistic understanding and then to demonstrable modeling advances, whether through regional models, Earth system model components, or coupled modeling systems.

Eligibility is broad for domestic applicants, with one notable exclusion: nonprofit organizations classified under IRS section 501(c)(4) that engaged in lobbying activities after December 31, 1995 are not eligible. The FOA also includes specific rules for federally affiliated entities. DOE/NNSA National Laboratories and non-DOE/NNSA Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) cannot apply as prime applicants, but they may participate as subrecipients under an eligible prime organization. If a national lab is included as a subrecipient and selected for funding, its portion is handled separately through DOE mechanisms (for DOE labs, via the DOE Field-Work Proposal system under the lab's existing DOE contract). Other Federal Agencies, unlike the labs and FFRDCs, are eligible to apply as lead applicants and can also participate as subrecipients; when they receive funding, it is typically implemented through an interagency agreement. The FOA also encourages the participation of underrepresented institutions, including minority-serving and emerging research institutions, as part of collaborative teams.

Key administrative details provided in the source include that this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category (CFDA 81.049), issued by the DOE Office of Science. The original application closing date is November 21, 2024, and the listed award ceiling is $3,000,000. The opportunity was created on July 25, 2024.

• The Office of Science in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Earth and Environmental Systems Science in the Southeast U.S." and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.049.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-21. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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