Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit | G22AS00108

Opportunity Information: Apply for G22AS00108

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a discretionary research award through a cooperative agreement to an eligible partner within the Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). The focus of the opportunity is applied isotope geochemistry for solving surface-water and groundwater hydrologic questions, especially problems involving where sediment and water come from and how they move through a watershed. The project is structured to support student and faculty involvement along with the lab work needed to apply, refine, and potentially develop geochemical and isotopic methods. A defining feature of the opportunity is its broad isotopic toolkit, spanning both stable and radiogenic systems, with examples ranging from lighter elements such as hydrogen, helium, and lithium to heavier systems such as uranium and lead.

A central motivation behind the work is an urgent need to isotopically characterize fine-grained sediment in the San Juan River Basin. The main scientific objective is sediment provenance: determining how much sediment is contributed by different source areas within the basin. The opportunity highlights lead (Pb) isotope analysis as an established and effective method for distinguishing sediment sources, and proposes extending that approach to additional materials connected to Lake Powell. In practical terms, this extension includes analyzing new sample sets such as sediment trap material from the San Juan River delta, sediment cores collected across the San Juan and Colorado River deltas, and suspended-sediment samples collected at the USGS streamgage at Mexican Hat, Utah. The solicitation notes that extensive geochemical data already exist for many candidate samples, and that archived splits of previously powdered and analyzed material are available, which can speed up selection and reduce redundant preparation work.

The work plan emphasized by the USGS is highly applied and data-management oriented, built around moving from existing chemistry datasets to targeted isotope measurements and defensible interpretation. Key tasks include reviewing and evaluating the existing sediment chemistry database, selecting the most informative samples from the sample library for Pb isotope analysis, coordinating sample submission to an analytical laboratory, and managing the delivery and organization of resulting isotope data. Another major requirement is to coordinate with USGS Utah Water Science Center staff to establish quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures, ensuring the isotope results are reliable, traceable, and suitable for agency decision-making and scientific publication. Beyond lead isotopes, the opportunity also encourages exploring additional isotope systems where useful, with strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) specifically mentioned as a potential complementary tracer to strengthen provenance interpretations or resolve ambiguities among sources.

Administratively, the funding opportunity is issued under the CESU framework, which is designed to support collaborative research, technical assistance, and education partnerships between federal agencies and qualified non-federal partners. Only organizations that are already participating partners in the Great Basin CESU are eligible to apply. The opportunity is identified as USGS Funding Opportunity Number G22AS00108, listed under CFDA 15.808, and uses a cooperative agreement instrument, meaning USGS expects to be substantially involved during the project (for example, through coordination on sampling strategy, QA/QC standards, data handling, and interpretation). The posted award ceiling is $20,000, with an original closing date of 2021-12-31 and a creation date of 2021-11-30.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-11-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-12-31. (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 $20,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G22AS00108

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