Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU | G20AS00091

Opportunity Information: Apply for G20AS00091

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G20AS00091) was a discretionary U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) award offered through the Department of the Interior as a cooperative agreement. Issued by the USGS Powell Center, it supported science and technology research aimed at strengthening how groundwater is represented in the core hydrologic and hydrodynamic models and datasets used for the Laurentian Great Lakes. The program was built around a practical need in Great Lakes water-balance science: many widely used basin models emphasize surface-water components (like tributary inflows, precipitation, evaporation, and outflows) while treating groundwater in a simplified way or leaving it out entirely, even though groundwater exchanges can meaningfully affect lake levels, nearshore conditions, and basin-scale water accounting.

The project focus was "Improving representation of groundwater in foundational Great Lakes hydrologic and hydrodynamic models and data sets." In plain terms, the work was expected to pull together existing hydrologic models and historical datasets and then integrate them with estimates of groundwater flux across the Great Lakes. The intent was not simply to create a new dataset in isolation, but to make groundwater a better accounted-for term in the Great Lakes basin water balance and to connect that improved accounting to models that simulate lake circulation. This matters because groundwater discharge to a lake (or recharge from the lake to surrounding aquifers) can shift local heat, nutrient, and water inputs and potentially influence hydrodynamic behavior, especially along coasts and in areas with strong groundwater-surface water interaction.

The opportunity laid out three main goals. First, it aimed to quantify groundwater fluxes through the Great Lakes, meaning estimating the magnitude and possibly the spatial distribution of groundwater entering and leaving the lakes. Second, it called for developing groundwater accounting in a way that fits into the established Great Lakes hydrologic cycle framework. That included (a) identifying and assembling model simulations and historical datasets for each major component of the hydrologic cycle in the basin, and (b) incorporating groundwater flux into existing models so it becomes an explicit, traceable part of the overall accounting rather than an assumed residual. Third, it sought to combine surface-water and groundwater flux models with lake hydrodynamic models to evaluate whether subsurface inputs have a detectable influence on lake circulation patterns. That last step highlights that the USGS was looking for an integrated modeling perspective, where improved flux estimates are not just reported but are used to test implications for circulation, mixing, and related physical processes.

Administratively, the award was capped at an award ceiling of $100,000, with the expectation of making a single award. The funding instrument type was a cooperative agreement, which typically signals substantial involvement or collaboration with the federal agency compared to a standard grant, often including coordination on technical direction, data management expectations, or integration with ongoing agency modeling efforts. The eligible applicant category was listed as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced elsewhere in the original notice, which is common for CESU opportunities that may be directed toward specific partner networks or require particular institutional qualifications.

Key dates show the opportunity was created on June 15, 2020, with an original closing date of July 27, 2020. The CFDA number associated with the opportunity was 15.808, and the activity category was listed as Science and Technology and other Research and Development. Overall, the grant was designed to advance Great Lakes basin science by making groundwater a more explicit, defensible, and operational part of the models and datasets used to understand lake water balances and lake circulation, thereby improving foundational tools used by researchers and resource managers across the region.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests 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 Jun 15, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 27, 2020. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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