Announcement of Opportunity: Modeling Studies in Support of U.S. JGOFS and U.S. GLOBEC in the Southern Ocean
Introduction
As part of the U.S. Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (U.S. GLOBEC) and
the U.S. Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (U.S. JGOFS) science programs the
National Science Foundation's (NSF) Office of Polar Programs and
Division of Ocean Sciences announces a call for proposals for modeling
studies related to the developing science programs in the Southern
Ocean. All proposals should be submitted to the NSF as detailed below.
The Southern Ocean programs of U.S. GLOBEC and U.S. JGOFS will take
place in the late 1990s. This announcement is to encourage modeling
studies that will advance the understanding of the biogeochemistry and
the interactions between marine populations and physical processes in
Southern Ocean ecosystems. In particular, modeling studies are
encouraged that will advance the planning and design of
multidisciplinary field programs. The goal is to develop the capability
to predict the response of oceanic biogeochemical processes and marine
animal populations to, as well as their influence upon, climatic change.
U.S. GLOBEC and U.S. JGOFS have held workshops to define science issues
that are of importance in the Southern Ocean. Results of these
workshops are available in U.S. GLOBEC Report No. 5 and U.S. JGOFS
Report No. 16. These documents may be obtained from U.S. GLOBEC,
Science Steering Committee Coordination Office, Department of
Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
94720 and U.S. JGOFS Planning and Coordination Office, Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, respectively.
International plans for Southern Ocean GLOBEC studies are described in
GLOBEC International Report No. 5, which is available from
GLOBEC-International Secretariat, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, P.O.
Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688. All of these documents highlight modeling
as an important aspect of developing Southern Ocean research programs
and discuss modeling needs in light of the stated program goals.
Description
The long-range goal for the U.S. GLOBEC program is to understand the
interactions between physical processes and marine animal populations
with an emphasis on predicting the effects of global change on
population abundance and variability in marine ecosystems. Long-range
goals for the U.S. JGOFS program are to evaluate and understand on a
global scale the processes controlling the fluxes of carbon and
associated biogenic elements in the ocean and to develop a capability to
predict the response of oceanic biogeochemical processes to climate
change. The Southern Ocean provides an opportunity to combine the goals
of these two programs to address issues of climate change effects on
biogeochemical cycling and marine food web processes and how these
interact to control and regulate biological production.
The Southern Ocean has long been believed to be a region of significant
biological production globally. However, it is not well understood how
primary production in the Southern Ocean is controlled. The biological
and chemical processes suggested as regulating primary production in the
Southern Ocean range from nutrient and trace metal effects, physical
processes such as light and turbulent mixing, and biological
interactions such as grazing. It's increasingly apparent that many of
the animal populations in the Antarctic marine food web have life
histories that are closely tied to the large seasonal fluctuations in
ice cover in the Southern Ocean. Hence, habitat variability is
potentially a strong control on biological production in the Southern
Ocean. Full descriptions of each of these issues and their relation to
climate change are given in the reports listed above.
Following the recommendations of the national and international
workshops and those from the Scientific Steering Committees for U.S.
GLOBEC and U.S. JGOFS, proposals for modeling studies are solicited by
this announcement in advance of field programs in the Southern Ocean.
It is anticipated that modeling studies will provide guidance for the
design and implementation of the field programs, both by addressing
issues of sampling strategy, and by highlighting key processes and
measurements necessary to understand the coupling among physical and
biogeochemical processes. Modeling studies might include (but are not
limited to):
- trace metal controls on primary production,
- sea-ice and biological interactions,
- mixed layer and biological interactions,
- biological and physical controls on air-sea carbon exchange,
- aggregation dynamics and the role of patchiness,
- top predator population dynamics and control,
- behavioral responses of predator and prey,
- paleoclimate and paleoceanographic processes,
- microbial controls on material cycling,
- coupled large and regional scale physical-biological models, and
- models as the primary tool for historical data analysis.
In addition, studies that address issues that will advance the state of
knowledge of modeling as well as provide understanding of the Southern
Ocean system are encouraged. Such studies might include ecological
models for data assimilation and management, and modelling techniques
for matching scales between models.
Proposal Format
Proposals should be clearly identified as being in response to this
Southern Ocean program opportunity announcement. Requirements for
proposal content and format should conform to the guidelines given in
Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 94-2). Single copies of this document are
available at no cost from the Forms and Publications Unit, National
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington VA 22230 or via
the on-line Science and Technology Information System (STIS).
Proposal Submission
Twenty completed copies should be marked "Do not open in mail room" and
sent directly to the address below. Proposals must be received at NSF by
May 1, 1995. Proposals will not be forwarded to other Programs if found
to be inappropriate for this announcement. Proposals received after the
deadline will be returned to the sender unreviewed.
Polar Biology and Medicine Program
Office of Polar Programs, Room 755
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22230
For further information contact:
Dr. Polly Penhale, Polar Biology and Medicine Program, (703) 306-1033, ppenhale@nsf.gov; or
Dr. Bernhard Lettau, Polar Ocean and Climate Systems, (703) 306-1033, blettau@nsf.gov; or
Dr. Neil Andersen, Chemical Oceanography Program, (703) 306-1587, nanderse@nsf.gov; or
Dr. Phillip Taylor, Biological Oceanography Program, (703) 306-1587, prtaylor@nsf.gov.
