Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Colorado Plateau CESU | G20AS00014

Opportunity Information: Apply for G20AS00014

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Colorado Plateau CESU grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G20AS00014) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Alaska Science Center research award designed to help explain why two polar bear subpopulations are responding differently to broadly similar environmental change. The southern Beaufort Sea (SB) and Chukchi Sea (CS) polar bear groups have both experienced major sea ice loss, yet their population trajectories appear to diverge, with SB declining while CS has been more stable. USGS is looking for a project that goes beyond simple correlations between sea ice conditions and population trends by adding a physiological measure that can plausibly connect environmental stressors to survival and reproduction.

The central research focus is cortisol, a stress-related hormone, measured in polar bear hair (fur). Because hair can retain an integrated record of hormone exposure over time, the proposal aims to quantify cortisol concentrations that reflect stress accumulated during the previous year`s ice-free season. The intention is to treat hair cortisol as a retrospective indicator of physiological stress load and then evaluate how that physiological signal lines up with environmental conditions and individual-level biological outcomes.

A key part of the work is integrating multiple data streams to identify what factors are most likely driving population status. Applicants are expected to pair hair cortisol results with indices of sea ice conditions derived from remotely collected imagery, along with existing information on reproductive status and health. In practical terms, this means analyzing whether cortisol varies in predictable ways with metrics such as the length or severity of the ice-free season, and whether those cortisol patterns differ by reproductive state (for example, females with cubs versus without) or by measures of body condition and overall health. By comparing SB and CS bears under comparable sea ice loss scenarios, the study is intended to clarify why the populations may be responding differently and to help identify the mechanisms that link habitat change to vital rates like survival and recruitment.

USGS indicates it will support the effort by making available substantial existing resources, including roughly 30 years of polar bear capture data and remote sensing sea ice imagery. That long-term dataset is important because it allows cortisol measures to be interpreted in a broader ecological and demographic context rather than as a one-off snapshot. The overall vision is a study that explicitly connects physiology (stress as reflected in cortisol) to population outcomes, strengthening the scientific basis for explaining and potentially forecasting polar bear population responses to ongoing sea ice change.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, and it will be awarded as a cooperative agreement, reflecting an expectation of collaboration or substantial involvement by the agency. The opportunity falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category (CFDA 15.808). Eligibility is limited to CESU partners (listed in the notice as "Others" with clarification in the eligibility text). USGS anticipated making one award with a maximum funding amount (award ceiling) of $49,245. The opportunity was created on November 25, 2019, with an original closing date of December 10, 2019.

• 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, Colorado Plateau 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 Nov 25, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 10, 2019. (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 $49,245.00 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).

Apply for G20AS00014

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