OpportunityTitle: GM-21-01A:  Offshore Analysis of Seafloor Instability and Sediments (OASIS Partnership) With Applications to Offshore Safety and Marine Archaeology
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Eligible applicants are Coastal State Governments and Public, State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education in the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU).The specific project identified in Section 2 is intended for eligible applicants. However, cooperative research (establishment of teams) is encouraged and the applicant may include subcontracts to non-profit organizations, private institutions of higher education, private companies or public and state controlled institutions of higher education within their proposal.&#160;This research project is required to have a staff member of the applying organization as the Principal Investigator (PI). Cooperative research between interested organizations - i.e., state agencies, public universities, and non-profits in affected states - is always encouraged.&#160;Federal entities as partners are allowed, however the tasks performed by the Federal partner and the associated budget must be presented separately by the Federal partner.&#160; &#160;Other non-federal organizations may be partners and their tasks and budgets should be included in the eligible applicant&#8217;s proposal.&#160;All questions regarding this project, including eligibility, should be directed only to the &#8220;Program Announcement and Cooperative Agreement Questions&#8221; point-of-contact listed in Section G.
Description: Gravity flows (GF) (or currents) in the Mississippi River Delta Front (MRDF) are known to displace large volumes of sediment mixed with seawater. These high-energy events have damaged infrastructure, causing multiple oil spills including the second largest oil spill in U.S. history. GF additionally have displaced shipwrecks hundreds of meters over short time periods, potentially impacting these wrecks and further endangering nearby oil and gas infrastructure. There is currently a limited understanding of the triggering mechanisms for GF, the dynamic processes at work once they are underway, as well as their frequency, power, and scale.This study will identify high, intermediate, and low-risk areas for future occurrence of GF. Researchers contributing from multiple Federal agencies will identify key locations to deploy monitoring equipment able to detect intermediate to large high-energy sediment transport events. They will also obtain a better understanding of environmental factors and processes that initiate these events in the MRDF and test new and/or existing technologies to detect and monitor GF events. New and existing data sets will be utilized to characterize sediments and physical oceanographic processes at selected locations in the MRDF, including known shipwreck locations; conduct baseline archaeological analysis at these sites; and test if in situ acoustic sensors could monitor potential future shipwreck displacement due to GF activity.See &quot;Related Documents&quot; tab for the revised full announcement with application instructions and revised mini-Statement of Work
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Paula.Barksdale@bsee.gov
GrantorContactText: Paula Barksdale &lt;br/&gt;Paula.Barksdale@bsee.gov
CloseDateExplanation: Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.