Wetland accretion and vegetation growth model integration and application to coastal wetland management | W81EWF 20 SOI 0032

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 20 SOI 0032

This grant opportunity from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Department of Defense) focuses on improving how coastal wetlands are planned for and managed over long project timelines by building better predictive modeling tools. Coastal wetlands deliver a wide set of services that matter to both ecosystems and communities, including wildlife habitat, carbon storage, shoreline erosion control, and economic benefits tied to recreation and tourism. More recently, they have also become a practical part of flood risk management strategies, because wetlands can reduce wave energy and storm surge impacts. As coastal storm risk management projects increasingly treat wetlands as system components, and as wetland restoration is more often paired with navigation dredging (for example, placing dredged sediment to rebuild marshes), managers need more reliable ways to anticipate whether wetlands will maintain their elevation and vegetation structure over time or whether periodic interventions will be needed.

The central problem the opportunity is trying to address is uncertainty about wetland sustainability across a typical USACE project life cycle of about 50 years. Wetland performance depends heavily on two linked characteristics: elevation (bathymetry/topography relative to sea level) and vegetation type and density. These factors largely determine how well wetlands attenuate waves and surge, and they also shape other services like habitat quality and carbon sequestration. However, sea level rise, storm events, changes in sediment supply, and restoration actions can all shift elevation and plant communities in ways that may either strengthen or degrade wetland function. USACE is seeking a modeling capability that can forecast how wetland elevation and vegetation will respond under different future conditions, including sea level rise trajectories, storm disturbance, restoration actions, and changing environmental drivers, so that projects can be designed with realistic expectations and maintenance plans.

The anticipated work is to integrate wetland accretion dynamics (processes that build or lose elevation, such as mineral sediment deposition, organic matter accumulation from plant production, compaction, erosion, and subsidence) into an existing USACE process-based vegetation growth model that is being adapted for coastal wetlands. The intent is not just to run two models side by side, but to couple them in a way that the feedbacks between plants and elevation are represented. In real wetlands, vegetation affects sediment trapping and organic accumulation, while elevation and flooding frequency affect plant growth, stress, and species composition. The integrated model is meant to reflect those two-way interactions so managers can explore how wetlands evolve and what management actions might be necessary to keep them functional.

The specific objectives outlined in the announcement include first identifying which processes from existing accretion models are essential to carry forward into the coupled system and determining the technical requirements for coupling. That includes decisions about spatial scale (for example, plot scale versus marsh platform scale) and coupling time steps (how often the models exchange information, such as daily, monthly, or annually). Next, the work calls for full integration of the accretion and vegetation models for at least one focal species, essentially creating a working prototype that demonstrates the coupled framework. After that, the model should be expanded to include interspecies dynamics and competition, explicitly accounting for how multiple plant species interact and how invasive species colonization and management actions can alter both vegetation outcomes and accretion processes. Finally, the effort must produce case studies and practical application examples showing how the integrated model can be used in a project life cycle context, with emphasis on sites in the southeastern United States, where coastal wetland management and storm risk concerns are especially prominent.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary cooperative agreement (meaning substantial involvement by the government partner is expected during the project). It is listed under Funding Opportunity Number W81EWF 20 SOI 0032 with CFDA 12.630, and it was posted June 4, 2020 with an original closing date of July 31, 2020. The funding ceiling is $15,000, and the agency expected to make a single award. Eligible applicants are described broadly as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement. Overall, the grant is aimed at delivering an applied, decision-support oriented modeling tool that helps USACE and partners plan, evaluate, and maintain wetland-based coastal risk reduction and restoration projects under long-term environmental change.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Wetland accretion and vegetation growth model integration and application to coastal wetland management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 04, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 31, 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 $15,000.00 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).

Apply for W81EWF 20 SOI 0032

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