Opportunity Information: Apply for M23AS00425
NT-23-X13 is a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) discretionary funding opportunity focused on tracking zooplankton ecology in the western Gulf of Maine, with a clear management purpose tied to offshore wind planning and endangered species protection. Offshore renewable energy development is expanding in the North Atlantic and being planned for the Gulf of Maine, and BOEM is required to evaluate the cumulative effects these activities may have on marine ecosystems. A central concern is the North Atlantic right whale, a highly endangered species that relies on dense patches of copepods for feeding. In the Gulf of Maine, which is designated as critical feeding habitat, the whales feed heavily on the copepod Calanus finmarchicus. Because the availability of this prey can shape whale distribution, health, and reproductive success, BOEM is seeking continued long-term monitoring that can reveal whether prey supplies are declining, recovering, or shifting due to climate variability or other environmental pressures.
The core objective of the project is to understand long-term variability in Calanus finmarchicus abundance and related zooplankton community changes in the Gulf of Maine and the broader North Atlantic context. The study is built around two established monitoring locations that are considered strategically important for interpreting ecosystem conditions. The Wilkinson Basin Time Series (WBTS) station represents the primary overwintering habitat for C. finmarchicus in this region, making it a key site for observing how the population persists and potentially seeds later seasonal abundance. The Coastal Maine Time Series (CMTS) station lies within the Maine Coastal Current, which is described as a regional production driver and therefore a useful place to track changes in planktonic ecosystem characteristics linked to coastal circulation and productivity.
BOEM highlights recent trends that underscore why additional support is considered urgent. Summer observations at the CMTS station show about a 30 percent decline in C. finmarchicus abundance from 2008 to 2021, a pattern that is consistent with results at the WBTS station. Data from 2022 at both stations suggest a rebound in C. finmarchicus abundance, but BOEM notes that it is not yet clear whether this rebound is an isolated spike or the beginning of a longer-term recovery. Continued sampling is positioned as the only way to separate short-lived variability from sustained change, which is essential for interpreting prey availability for right whales in a designated critical habitat area.
The work proposed under this opportunity involves collecting and analyzing plankton data at both WBTS and CMTS, with an emphasis on measuring abundance, biomass, and community composition over time. One of the primary quantitative outputs is the Calanus Index, described as the total zooplankton dry weight abundance of C. finmarchicus life stages, which provides a standardized indicator of prey availability and population structure. In addition to Calanus-specific metrics, the project will track other zooplankton taxa and broader shifts in zooplankton biomass and community composition, supporting a more complete picture of how the food web base is changing rather than focusing on a single species alone.
Methodologically, the opportunity calls for a combination of traditional and modern biological assessment tools. Alongside standard abundance and biomass measurements, the project includes DNA metabarcoding to improve taxonomic resolution and detect community changes that may be missed or difficult to quantify through visual identification alone. The study also includes microscopy for phytoplankton species composition, adding an additional layer of ecosystem context because phytoplankton community shifts can influence zooplankton nutrition, timing, and overall productivity. Taken together, these approaches are intended to produce a robust, long-term dataset that can support BOEMs cumulative impact analyses related to offshore wind development and broader environmental change.
From a funding and administrative standpoint, the award is offered as a cooperative agreement, indicating BOEM expects substantial involvement or coordination during the project rather than a hands-off grant. The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.423 and falls within an environmental funding activity category. The award ceiling is $200,000. The original closing date for applications was August 7, 2023, and the opportunity was created July 5, 2023. Funding for 2023 sampling had been provided through the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, but that support ends in January 2024, which is presented as the immediate driver for BOEM to seek additional funds to avoid a break in the time series.
Eligibility is unusually narrow: the only eligible applicant identified is the University of Maine. Cost sharing or match is not required, but BOEM strongly encourages it, signaling that leveraged support or complementary resources could strengthen the effort even though they are not mandatory. Overall, the opportunity is essentially about maintaining and extending a long-running plankton monitoring program at two key Gulf of Maine stations so BOEM can better detect climate-related or other ecological shifts that may affect right whale prey availability in a critical feeding habitat as offshore wind development moves forward.Apply for M23AS00425
- The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NT-23-X13: Zooplankton Ecology of the western Gulf of Maine: trends in abundance and diversity" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.423.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2023-07-05.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-08-07. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Others.
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