Opportunity Information: Apply for NOIP17AC01333
This National Park Service cooperative agreement opportunity focuses on understanding and predicting how Isle Royale National Park's inland boreal lakes will respond to climate change. The core idea is that climate-driven shifts in lake thermal structure, especially whether and how strongly a lake stratifies during the summer, can trigger ecological changes that show up at the base of the food web as shifts in algal communities. Because these lakes support valued park resources and experiences (fish and waterfowl habitat, including loons, plus fishing, swimming, boating, and backcountry camping), the park has identified inland lake monitoring as a high priority in its Water Resources Management Plan and broader stewardship responsibilities as an International Biosphere Reserve.
The project is built around linking a physical driver to an ecological response. On the physical side, the work uses lake thermal modeling to estimate patterns of stratification and related conditions like dissolved oxygen, drawing on meteorological data and lake characteristics. Prior research in the region shows that lake geometry, especially maximum depth and surface area, strongly influences whether a lake stratifies, and modern lake models can reproduce thermal structure well enough that "hindcasting" is possible using historical weather records. On the ecological side, the work measures long-term change in algal communities by analyzing lake sediment records, which preserve evidence of past algal composition and allow the team to reconstruct how communities have changed over roughly the last century.
The study design targets eight Isle Royale lake ecosystems selected to represent a gradient in size, depth, and surface area so the team can compare systems that are more or less prone to stratification. It combines three main lines of evidence: contemporary limnological monitoring (present-day measurements that characterize current conditions), ecosystem and thermal modeling (to estimate stratification history and dynamics), and paleolimnological sediment analyses (to infer historical algal community change). By integrating these approaches, the project aims to move beyond a single-lake case study and instead produce a comparative, semi-empirical framework that ranks lakes by likely sensitivity to future climate-driven change.
The specific objectives are threefold. First, the project will evaluate how modeled changes in stratification over the past 100 years align with changes in algal communities recorded in sediments, effectively testing whether physical shifts in thermal structure are associated with biological responses over long time scales. Second, it will quantify the magnitude of algal community change in each lake and explicitly compare those changes between lakes that stratify and lakes that do not (or that stratify differently), helping clarify whether stratification status is a useful divider for interpreting vulnerability. Third, it will develop a predictive relationship that uses easily measured lake geometry as a practical proxy for stratification behavior and, in turn, ecological sensitivity to climate change. The intent is to turn basic lake metrics into a management-ready tool that can guide monitoring priorities, communication with visitors, and future protection strategies.
The expected management outcomes are concrete and geared toward park decision-making. The deliverables are meant to provide (1) a tool to identify which lakes are at greatest risk or most sensitive to climate-driven shifts, (2) guidance on how to modify and target existing monitoring protocols, including improving the ability to predict and detect harmful algal blooms (HABs), and (3) supporting background data that can feed into water quality assessments, fisheries management decisions, and visitor safety considerations in the backcountry. A key operational implication is that if a lake is classified as climatically sensitive, the Great Lakes Network Inventory and Monitoring Program approach would be adjusted to increase the frequency of monitoring for chemical parameters and thermal structure, improving early warning and trend detection.
Administratively, the opportunity is a mandatory, single-award cooperative agreement administered by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, under CFDA 15.944. The funding opportunity number is NOIP17AC01333, with an award ceiling of $150,000 and one expected award. The opportunity was created July 26, 2017, with an original closing date of August 11, 2017, and eligibility listed under "Others" as further defined in the full announcement.Apply for NOIP17AC01333
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Predicting the Sensitivity of Boreal Lakes to Climate Change - Isle Royale National Park" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.944.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 26, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 11, 2017. (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 $150,000.00 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).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is this cooperative agreement opportunity about?
This National Park Service cooperative agreement focuses on understanding and predicting how Isle Royale National Park's inland boreal lakes will respond to climate change. The central premise is that climate-driven changes in lake thermal structure (especially summer stratification) can trigger ecological changes that show up as shifts in algal communities at the base of the food web.
2) Which park and which types of waters are included?
The work is focused on inland boreal lakes within Isle Royale National Park. It is not described as a coastal Great Lakes project; it specifically targets inland lake ecosystems in the park.
3) Why is lake stratification a big focus of the project?
The opportunity is built around linking a physical driver to an ecological response. On the physical side, whether a lake stratifies during summer (and how strongly) is treated as a key mechanism that can influence conditions like dissolved oxygen and ultimately contribute to ecological change.
4) What ecological changes are being examined?
The ecological response emphasized in the announcement is long-term change in algal communities. The project uses evidence preserved in lake sediments to reconstruct how algal composition has changed over roughly the last century.
5) What valued park resources and visitor experiences are connected to these lakes?
The inland lakes support fish and waterfowl habitat (including loons) and are connected to visitor activities and experiences such as fishing, swimming, boating, and backcountry camping.
6) How does this fit into park management priorities?
The park has identified inland lake monitoring as a high priority in its Water Resources Management Plan and within its broader stewardship responsibilities as an International Biosphere Reserve.
7) What are the main scientific approaches used in the project?
The study combines three main lines of evidence: (1) contemporary limnological monitoring to characterize present-day conditions, (2) ecosystem and thermal modeling to estimate stratification history and dynamics, and (3) paleolimnological sediment analyses to infer historical algal community change.
8) How many lakes are included, and how are they chosen?
The design targets eight Isle Royale lake ecosystems. They are selected to represent a gradient in size, depth, and surface area so the team can compare lakes that are more or less prone to stratification.
9) What role does lake geometry play in the study?
Prior research in the region indicates that lake geometry, especially maximum depth and surface area, strongly influences whether a lake stratifies. A key goal here is to use easily measured lake geometry as a practical proxy for stratification behavior and ecological sensitivity.
10) What does the thermal modeling involve?
The project uses lake thermal modeling to estimate patterns of stratification and related conditions such as dissolved oxygen, drawing on meteorological data and lake characteristics.
11) What is meant by "hindcasting" in this opportunity?
The announcement notes that modern lake models can reproduce thermal structure well enough that hindcasting is possible using historical weather records. In this context, hindcasting means estimating past stratification patterns over time using historical meteorological data.
12) What is the timeframe of ecological change being reconstructed from sediments?
The sediment records are used to reconstruct changes in algal communities over roughly the last century (about 100 years).
13) What are the specific project objectives?
The opportunity lists three objectives: (1) evaluate how modeled changes in stratification over the past 100 years align with algal community changes recorded in sediments, (2) quantify algal community change in each lake and compare changes between lakes that stratify and lakes that do not (or stratify differently), and (3) develop a predictive relationship using lake geometry as a proxy for stratification behavior and ecological sensitivity to climate change.
14) Why compare stratifying vs. non-stratifying lakes?
The comparative design is intended to test whether stratification status is a useful divider for interpreting vulnerability. By explicitly comparing lakes that stratify with those that do not (or behave differently), the project aims to clarify how thermal structure relates to ecological change.
15) What is the intended end product for park decision-making?
The project aims to produce a comparative, semi-empirical framework that ranks lakes by likely sensitivity to future climate-driven change, moving beyond a single-lake case study to a management-relevant tool.
16) What management outcomes or deliverables are expected?
The opportunity describes deliverables intended to support park decision-making, including: (1) a tool to identify which lakes are at greatest risk or most sensitive to climate-driven shifts, (2) guidance on how to modify and target existing monitoring protocols (including improving the ability to predict and detect harmful algal blooms), and (3) supporting background data for water quality assessments, fisheries management decisions, and visitor safety considerations in the backcountry.
17) How could the project affect monitoring frequency or parameters?
An operational implication described is that if a lake is classified as climatically sensitive, the Great Lakes Network Inventory and Monitoring Program approach would be adjusted to increase the frequency of monitoring for chemical parameters and thermal structure to improve early warning and trend detection.
18) How does this project relate to harmful algal blooms (HABs)?
The announcement states that one purpose of the monitoring guidance is to improve the ability to predict and detect harmful algal blooms (HABs) as part of targeted monitoring modifications.
19) What type of award is this?
This is a mandatory, single-award cooperative agreement administered by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
20) Is this a competitive opportunity with multiple awards?
No. The announcement specifies it is a mandatory, single-award cooperative agreement with one expected award.
21) What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is NOIP17AC01333.
22) What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.944.
23) What is the maximum funding amount for the award?
The award ceiling is $150,000.
24) When was the opportunity created, and what was the original closing date?
The opportunity was created on July 26, 2017, with an original closing date of August 11, 2017.
25) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed under "Others" as further defined in the full announcement. The provided summary does not include the detailed eligibility definition.
26) What makes this project "management-ready"?
The intent is to translate basic, easily measured lake metrics (like depth and surface area) into a practical proxy that helps rank lakes by sensitivity. That ranking is meant to guide monitoring priorities, communication with visitors, and future protection strategies.
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