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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FAQs: BOEM Funding Opportunity NT-23-X13 (Zooplankton Monitoring in the Western Gulf of Maine)
What is the NT-23-X13 funding opportunity?
NT-23-X13 is a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) discretionary funding opportunity to support continued long-term monitoring of zooplankton ecology in the western Gulf of Maine. The work is intended to inform BOEM decision-making around offshore wind planning and cumulative impact evaluation, with a strong link to endangered species protection.
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
What is the management purpose behind this project?
BOEM is required to evaluate the cumulative effects of offshore renewable energy activities on marine ecosystems. This project is designed to provide long-term data on zooplankton conditions that affect marine food webs, especially prey availability for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, in an area designated as critical feeding habitat.
Why is BOEM focusing on zooplankton monitoring in the Gulf of Maine?
Offshore renewable energy development is expanding in the North Atlantic and is being planned for the Gulf of Maine. BOEM is seeking monitoring that can distinguish short-term variability from sustained ecological change (including climate variability) that could alter the ecosystem baseline used in BOEM analyses.
How does this opportunity relate to the North Atlantic right whale?
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, right whales feed heavily on the copepod Calanus finmarchicus. Changes in prey availability can influence whale distribution, health, and reproductive success.
What species is the primary focus of the monitoring?
The primary target species is the copepod Calanus finmarchicus, which is a key prey species for right whales in the Gulf of Maine.
What is the core scientific objective of the project?
The core objective is to understand long-term variability in Calanus finmarchicus abundance and related zooplankton community changes in the Gulf of Maine, while also interpreting those changes within the broader North Atlantic context.
What are the two main monitoring sites included in this project?
The project is built around two established monitoring locations: the Wilkinson Basin Time Series (WBTS) station and the Coastal Maine Time Series (CMTS) station.
Why is the Wilkinson Basin Time Series (WBTS) station important?
WBTS represents the primary overwintering habitat for Calanus finmarchicus in this region. Because overwintering conditions can influence how the population persists and contributes to later seasonal abundance, WBTS is strategically important for interpreting ecosystem conditions over time.
Why is the Coastal Maine Time Series (CMTS) station important?
CMTS lies within the Maine Coastal Current, which is described as a regional production driver. This makes CMTS a useful location for tracking changes in planktonic ecosystem characteristics linked to coastal circulation and productivity.
What trend has BOEM highlighted as a reason this work is urgent?
BOEM highlights that summer observations at CMTS show about a 30 percent decline in Calanus finmarchicus abundance from 2008 to 2021, consistent with results at WBTS. Data from 2022 at both stations suggest a rebound, but it is unclear whether that rebound is a short-lived spike or the start of a longer-term recovery.
Why is continued sampling considered necessary?
Continued sampling is positioned as the only way to separate short-term variability from sustained change in Calanus finmarchicus and the broader zooplankton community. That distinction is essential for interpreting prey availability for right whales in a designated critical habitat area.
What kinds of data will be collected and analyzed under this opportunity?
The work involves collecting and analyzing plankton data at WBTS and CMTS, with emphasis on measuring abundance, biomass, and community composition over time. The project also tracks other zooplankton taxa and broader shifts in zooplankton biomass and community composition.
What is the Calanus Index?
The Calanus Index is described as the total zooplankton dry weight abundance of Calanus finmarchicus life stages. It is used as a standardized indicator of prey availability and population structure.
Does the project only focus on Calanus finmarchicus?
No. While Calanus finmarchicus is a central focus, the project also tracks other zooplankton taxa and evaluates broader changes in zooplankton biomass and community composition to better understand food web changes rather than focusing on a single species alone.
What methods or tools are included in the monitoring approach?
The opportunity calls for both traditional and modern biological assessment tools, including standard abundance and biomass measurements, DNA metabarcoding to improve taxonomic resolution, and microscopy for phytoplankton species composition.
Why does the project include DNA metabarcoding?
DNA metabarcoding is included to improve taxonomic resolution and detect community changes that may be missed or difficult to quantify through visual identification alone.
Why does the project include phytoplankton microscopy?
Microscopy for phytoplankton species composition adds ecosystem context because phytoplankton community shifts can influence zooplankton nutrition, timing, and overall productivity.
How will the dataset be used by BOEM?
The approaches are intended to produce a robust long-term dataset that can support BOEM cumulative impact analyses related to offshore wind development and broader environmental change.
What type of award is BOEM offering?
The award is offered as a cooperative agreement, which indicates BOEM expects substantial involvement or coordination during the project rather than a hands-off grant.
What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.423.
What is the funding activity category?
It falls within an environmental funding activity category.
What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling is $200,000.
When was the opportunity created and when did it close?
The opportunity was created on July 5, 2023. The original closing date for applications was August 7, 2023.
Why was BOEM seeking funding at this time?
Funding for 2023 sampling had been provided through the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, but that support ends in January 2024. BOEM presents this as the immediate driver to seek additional funds to avoid a break in the time series.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is unusually narrow: the only eligible applicant identified is the University of Maine.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
Cost sharing or match is not required. However, BOEM strongly encourages cost sharing, suggesting that leveraged support or complementary resources could strengthen the effort even though they are not mandatory.
What is the overall goal of the funded effort?
The overall goal is to maintain and extend 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.
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