Naval Research Laboratory Grant for Arctic-Specific Ocean Color Product Development

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement, N00173-22-S-RW01, to solicit proposals to develop arctic-specific satellite ocean color products for Arctic waters in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.

As the Arctic region experiences warmer temperatures and the season of ice-free waters is projected to progressively lengthen, it has become increasingly imperative to develop satellite-based approaches to monitor the Arctic Ocean. Satellite-derived measures of essential biophysical parameters in water, such as concentrations of the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll-a and suspended particulate matter, have been used to monitor the biophysical conditions of oceanic waters worldwide for several decades. Such existing satellite-based data products are, however, not expected to be accurate in the Arctic Ocean, especially in the coastal zone, which is subject to influx of materials released from recently thawed permafrost and transported by rivers into the ocean. The optical properties of these materials released from recently thawed permafrost materials are yet to be studied in detail but are expected to be distinctly different from materials in lower-latitude waters used to develop current algorithms for global satellite ocean color data products. Limited studies have demonstrated the unreliability of current global satellite-based algorithms for estimating essential biophysical parameters in Arctic waters.

It is the intent of this Funding Opportunity Announcement to solicit the most creative, innovative, and effective approaches. NRL invites proposals to develop satellite-based data products for critical biophysical parameters in Arctic waters, namely the concentrations of chlorophyll-a, suspended particulate matter, and particulate organic carbon, and the diffuse attenuation of light in the water column. The proposed work may re-parameterize or re-tune existing algorithms to make them suitable for Arctic waters, taking into consideration the optical and biophysical properties of Arctic waters.

The goal is to establish Arctic-specific satellite-based algorithms that may be routinely applied to data from current ocean color satellites such as the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) to generate estimates of the aforementioned biophysical parameters. The focus is on U.S. Arctic waters in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.

Subject to the availability of funds, this announcement will result in the award of one Cooperative Agreement (CA) as defined at 31 U.S.C. 6305. The CA is subject to the Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARs). The principal purpose of this work with the recipient(s) is to carry out the public purpose for the support or stimulation of basic and applied research in areas of science with potential interest to NRL rather than the acquisition of supplies or services for the direct benefit of the Government.

Substantial Government involvement is expected through the collaborative planning, management and execution of the research to be performed by the participant. The CA award, if any, made as a result of this announcement will provide for a period of performance of three years.

The FOA will be posted on www.grants.gov. Proposals shall be submitted electronically through the www.grants.gov portal. Proposals sent by fax or email will not be considered.