FY 2020 Alaska Coastal Marine Institute

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The Environmental Studies Program (ESP) of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is offering a cooperative agreement opportunity through the University of Alaska Coastal Marine Institute (CMI) to units within the University of Alaska system that have the ability to conduct research in topics that serve the public interest of safe and environmentally sound energy production and meet the goals of the BOEM. The general types of studies that may be funded include scientific studies for better understanding marine, coastal or human environments affected or potentially affected by offshore oil and gas or other mineral exploration and extraction on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS); modeling studies of environmental, social, economic, or cultural processes related to OCS oil and gas activities in order to improve scientific predictive capabilities; experimental scientific studies for better understanding of environmental processes, or the causes and effects of OCS activities; projects which design or establish mechanisms or protocols for sharing data or information regarding marine or coastal resources, or human activities to support prudent management of oil, gas and marine mineral resources; and synthesis studies of scientific environmental or socioeconomic information relevant to the OCS oil and gas program. The most relevant geographic areas are potential OCS oil and gas lease areas off Alaska, including the Beaufort Sea and Cook Inlet. Projects in other areas of the Alaska Region may be considered if applicable to CMI priorities. Following the submission of letters of intent (LOI) from the University of Alaska, the BOEM, in discussion with representatives from the State of Alaska, have selected the LOI topics listed below for development of full proposals. This request is not a guarantee of funding. Proposals that do not target these selected research areas will not be considered: (1) The use of radium isotopes to evaluate land-based inputs, residence times, and export fluxes in lower Cook Inlet; (2) Arctic Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Structure Data Analysis; (3) Expanding Pink Salmon populations in the Arctic: relationship to regional watersheds: (4) Foraging and reproductive performance of planktivorous and piscivorous seabirds of the southeastern Bering Sea: ecological indicators for a new ecosystem state; (5) Investigating the impacts of oil exposure and changing snow cover on sea ice microbial communities; (6) Adaptation of Fishing Communities to Changes in Distribution and Abundance of Harvestable Resources; and (7) Petrogenic Dissolved Organic Matter in Cook Inlet: Formation and Bioaccumulation.

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