High-resolution hydrologic modeling of Glacier Bay National Park

The summary for the High-resolution hydrologic modeling of Glacier Bay National Park grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the National Park Service, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

High-resolution hydrologic modeling of Glacier Bay National Park: NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD

This Funding Announcement is not a request for applications. This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service’s intention to fund the following project activities without full and open competition.

ABSTRACT
Funding Announcement Number P15AS01065

Project Title High-resolution hydrologic modeling of Glacier Bay National Park
Recipient Oregon State University
Principle Investigator / Program Manager PI: David F. Hill, Ph.D.
School of Civil and Construction Engineering
Oregon State University
207 Owen Hall
Corvallis, OR 97330
541.737.4939
[email protected]
Program Manager: Lisa Etherington, Ph.D.
Chief Resource Management
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
PO Box 140
Gustavus, AK 99826
907-697-2640
[email protected]
Total Anticipated Award Amount $41,702
Cost Share None
New Award or Continuation? New Award
Anticipated Period of Performance 08/30/2015 – 12/01/2016

Award Instrument Cooperative Agreement
Statutory Authority 54USC§100703 Cooperative Studies Units
54USC§101702 (a) Cooperative Agreements, Transfer of Service Appropriated Funds
CFDA # and Title 15.945 Cooperative Research and Training Programs – Resources of the National Park System, Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units Network
Single Source Justification Criteria Cited (4) Unique Qualifications

NPS ATR Point of Contact
Scott Gende, Ph.D.,
Ecologist/Sr. Science Advisor
3100 National Park Road
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Phone: 907-364-2622
Fax: 907-364-2606
Email: [email protected]





OVERVIEW

Include a paragraph that explain the overview of the project to be awarded.

Freshwater runoff plays a first order role in controlling the spatial and temporal distribution of water column properties (salinity, temperature, density) in the waters of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GBNPP). Runoff also strongly controls circulation patterns and residence times. These physical oceanographic processes are linked in many ways to ecological processes, demonstrating the broad impact of freshwater runoff on Glacier Bay. Streamflow is undersampled in Alaska in general and in GBNPP in particular. As a result, the hydrologic budget of Glacier Bay can not be determined through monitoring alone, and a modeling campaign is needed.

Glacier Bay and Oregon State University will jointly develop a physical process-based hydrologic model for GBNPP that models snow and ice melt, and that routes runoff through the landscape to the coastline. The model will be highly resolved in space (100-500 m) and in time (daily step) allowing for estimates among and within seasons and years, and can accommodate individual rainfall events. The model will ultimately be validated using physical oceanographic data collected by park staff. Since runoff is strongly controlled by the precipitation and weather data, we will make model runs using three different weather products (NARR [North American Regional Reanalysis], MERRA [Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications], and PRISM [Parameter-elevation Relationships on Independent Slopes Model]). The ensemble of data sets will help to quantify the uncertainty in runoff associated with uncertainty in forcing weather data.

Outcomes of this project will include a dataset in netcdf format covering the entire GBNPP watershed that specifies runoff on a daily time step for a 30-year hindcast period. ’Derived’ products will also include files describing the runoff extracted only at coastline grid cells to allow for the specification of the runoff into Glacier Bay. These data files will be suitable for immediate inclusion into an oceanographic model of the bay by other interested parties. Finally, a number of visual materials will also be generated based on input from park management and interpretation staff, including images (at a given time step, for example) and movies (covering a year, or the entire model period) that demonstrate the rich behavior of snowfall, icemelt, and runoff.


STATEMENT OF JOINT OBJECTIVES/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

NPS and Oregon State University will jointly develop a hydrologic model for GBNPP that models snow and ice melt, and that routes runoff through the landscape to the coastline. This collaborative project will improve our understanding of the present levels and distribution of runoff and how levels and distribution can change in response to changing precipitation, temperature and land cover. The variety of products produced by this project will contribute to greater public understanding of the hydrology of the system and how changing climate conditions can influence this critical component of the ecosystem.

Explain the mutual and cooperative participation of the project to be awarded.

1. Generate a 30-year dataset on streamflow for the entire GBNPP watershed. This dataset will have a daily time step and will have a spatial resolution of 100-500 m.
2. Convert model results into netcdf format, which is a machine-independent data structure preferred for array-oriented data.
3. Generate model datasets for three widely-used weather reanalysis products.
4. Calibrate and validate the model results with available field data (subject to data availability).
5. Produce informative and visually appealing media (images, animations) related to the hydrologic cycle of Glacier Bay.
6. Present results to park staff and to park visitors.

RECIPIENT INVOLVEMENT

Recipient Involvement: This should provide a summary of the recipient’s activities to be funded by the award. It must be detailed enough for the public to understand, yet CANNOT include any proprietary information.

1. Collaboratively undertake a project titled “High-resolution hydrologic modeling of Glacier Bay National Park” as described throughout this Task Agreement.
2. Appoint David F. Hill, Ph.D. as Principal Investigator (PI).
3. Appoint a graduate student (name TBD) to work on the project.
4. Participate in a model-development conference call to develop input data, formatting, and other considerations.
5. Develop a hydrologic model of the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GBNPP) watershed.
6. Calibrate and validate this model with publicly available field data (as available)
7. Run 30-year simulations of hydrologic processes with a daily time step and a spatial grid of 100-500 m.
8. Run simulations with three widely used weather reanalysis products and quantify the variability among the weather forcing products.
9. Create easily accessible data files (netcdf format) to increase the use of these data products by other researchers.
10. Give a videoconference presentation on a draft version of the hydrologic model and results and seek feedback from park staff.
11. Collaborate with park staff to create visually appealing outreach products (images and animations) related to the hydrology of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
12. Give oral presentation of project final results to park staff and other interested members of the public.
13. Provide training to park staff on how to use the model results.
14. Develop at a minimum a final project report in a NPS Natural Resource Technical Series format (peer-reviewed) and, depending on the results, a manuscript suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
15. Communicate with NPS staff as needed to update them on research progress or need for assistance.
16. Ensure that all products (presentations, reports, papers) acknowledge NPS support and that the project was conducted through the PNW CESU and reference this Task Agreement number.
17. Cooperate with the NPS Agreement Technical Representative (ATR) to ensure that the conduct of the project complies with “Quality Control of Scientific and Other Scholarly Products in the Pacific West Region.”
18. Ensure that reports and other formal materials (including publications and presentations) resulting from this collaborative project acknowledge the NPS and that the project was conducted through the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, and reference this Task Agreement number.
19. Upon request of the NPS, obtain digital photographs with captions of project activities and make these available to the NPS Pacific Northwest CESU Senior Science Advisor and others for use in presentations and reports.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVOLVEMENT

Within this paragraph use the following language to address NPS Substantial involvement:

Substantial involvement on the part of the National Park Service is anticipated for the successful completion of the objectives to be funded by this award. In particular, the National Park Service will be responsible for the following:

1. Provide financial assistance to the OSU as provided in Article VI. The budget, included as Attachment B, is incorporated in this Task Agreement.
2. Assign Scott Gende, Ecologist/Senior Science Advisor, as the ATR. Assign Lisa Etherington as Project Manager.
3. Provide digital elevation model (DEM) data to OSU to be used as a base layer in model development.
4. Participate in a model-development conference call to develop input data, formatting, and other considerations.
5. Work collaboratively with OSU to review, evaluate, and adapt project progress and goals.
6. Identify the number and types of interpretive products that will be most useful for park outreach and education efforts.
7. Provide feedback on draft reports and other products within one month of receipt.
8. Cooperate with the OSU to ensure that the conduct of the project complies with “Quality Control of Scientific and Other Scholarly Products in the Pacific West Region.” The ATR (or designee) is the administrative reviewer for this project.
9. Ensure that reports and other formal materials (including publications and presentations) resulting from this collaborative project acknowledge the OSU and that the project was conducted through the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, and reference this Task Agreement number.

The activities / responsibilities that constitute substantial involvement on the part of the NPS must be stated here. This statement should reproduce the language to be incorporated within the Cooperative Agreement.


SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
SINGLE SOURCE POLICY REQUIREMENTS

Department of the Interior Policy (505 DM 2) requires a written justification which explains why competition is not practicable for each single-source award. The justification must address one or more of the following criteria as well as discussion of the program legislative history, unique capabilities of the proposed recipient, and cost-sharing contribution offered by the proposed recipient, as applicable.


In order for an assistance award to be made without competition, the award must satisfy one or more of the following criteria:

(1) Unsolicited Proposal – The proposed award is the result of an unsolicited assistance application which represents a unique or innovative idea, method, or approach which is not the subject of a current or planned contract or assistance award, but which is deemed advantageous to the program objectives;

(2) Continuation – The activity to be funded is necessary to the satisfactory completion of, or is a continuation of an activity presently being funded, and for which competition would have a significant adverse effect on the continuity or completion of the activity;

(3) Legislative intent – The language in the applicable authorizing legislation or legislative history clearly indicates Congress’ intent to restrict the award to a particular recipient of purpose;

(4) Unique Qualifications – The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location, property ownership, voluntary support capacity, cost-sharing ability if applicable, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications;

(5) Emergencies – Program/award where there is insufficient time available (due to a compelling and unusual urgency, or substantial danger to health or safety) for adequate competitive procedures to be followed.


The National Park Service did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria:


(4) Unique Qualifications

Dr. David Hill is uniquely qualified to collaborate with the NPS on this project because of his specialization and history in hydrological modeling of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and, more broadly, the Gulf of Alaska, since 2007. During that time, he has assembled a portfolio of modeling tools, data products, and local contacts that uniquely position him to carry out the work described in this task agreement. Specifically, he has worked directly with the NPS project manager on several initial papers on Glacier Bay hydrology that form the foundation for this more advanced modeling effort, including: “Oceanography of Glacier Bay, Alaska: implications for biological patterns in a glacial fjord estuary” (Estuaries and Coasts 2007) and “Estimation of freshwater runoff into Glacier Bay, Alaska and incorporation into a tidal circulation model” (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 2009). Dr. Hill has also worked with a variety of Glacier Bay researchers (including NPS staff) to publish important papers illustrating the physical-biological connections within Glacier Bay, including: “Tidal influences on humpback whale habitat selection near headlands “ (Marine Ecology Progress Series 2011), “Effects of currents and tides on fine-scale use of marine bird habitats in a Southeast Alaska hotspot” (Marine Ecology Progress Series 2013), and “Interactions between instream wood and hydrogeomorphic development within recently deglaciated streams in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska” (Geomorphology 2011). His work has been carefully peer reviewed in numerous publications and it has led to several fellowships and awards for students working on this topic under his supervision. Recently, Dr. Hill has been involved in a Gulf of Alaska-wide modeling effort (Spatial and temporal variability of freshwater discharge into the Gulf of Alaska – Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 2015) using the same suite of tools that he proposes to use for an improved, higher-resolution study of GBNPP. Due to the initial investment (over the past 3 years) in this area by other funding agencies, Dr. Hill possesses the expertise and the knowledge of local processes that will allow him to carry out this GBNPP study in a short duration and with a modest budget.