Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner of Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) | G21AS00576

Opportunity Information: Apply for G21AS00576

This opportunity is a US Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary funding call (Funding Opportunity Number G21AS00576) offered as a cooperative agreement under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. It is specifically limited to organizations that are already participating partners in the Californian CESU network, which is a formal partnership structure used by federal agencies to support research, technical assistance, and education with affiliated institutions.

The project focus is applied research and field data collection aimed at improving how mercury risk is predicted in managed freshwater ecosystems. The USGS is looking to support work that helps build a revised predictive framework that accounts for both biogeochemistry (the chemical and physical processes controlling mercury cycling in water, sediment, and organic matter) and microbiology (the microbial processes that drive mercury transformations). A central concern is methylmercury formation, because methylmercury is the biologically available, highly toxic form that tends to build up in organisms and then biomagnify through aquatic food webs, creating human and wildlife exposure risks.

A major emphasis is on collecting field measurements in two representative freshwater environment types where mercury problems are common and management decisions strongly influence outcomes: arid-land reservoirs and subtropical wetlands. These systems are highlighted because mercury biomagnification is prevalent in their aquatic food webs and because water-quality constraints related to mercury often complicate routine management, remediation, and restoration efforts. The intent is not just to measure mercury, but to generate the kinds of environmental and biological data needed to explain why mercury risk is high in some places or seasons and lower in others, especially in systems that are actively managed.

The scientific and management challenge the project is trying to address is understanding how different drivers change the conditions that promote or suppress methylmercury production. The opportunity statement distinguishes between internal drivers, such as hydrologic changes and biochemical shifts caused by management actions or restoration (for example, changes in water levels, residence time, inundation patterns, organic matter inputs, or redox conditions), and external drivers, such as climate change, which can alter temperature, precipitation patterns, drought frequency, and extreme events. These drivers can reshape the biogeochemical pathways and microbial communities that govern methylation and demethylation, ultimately affecting how much methylmercury enters the food web.

Administratively, the award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial involvement from the federal agency during the project (for example, collaboration on study design, sampling strategy, data sharing, and interpretation) rather than a hands-off grant. The activity category is listed under Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the CFDA number associated with the program is 15.808. The posted award ceiling is $216,000, and the original closing date shown for applications was July 30, 2021, with the opportunity created June 30, 2021.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner of Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-06-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-07-30. (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 $216,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G21AS00576

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