[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 101 (Tuesday, May 27, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28686-28688]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-13791]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Research; Energy Research Financial Assistance
Program Notice 97-16; Climate Change Prediction Program
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Health and Environmental Research (OHER) of the
Office of Energy Research (ER), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby
announces its interest in receiving applications to support the
development of decadal to multi-century climate prediction in
conjunction with the Climate Change Prediction Program, a part of the
U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).
DATES: Applicants are encouraged (but not required) to submit a brief
preapplication for programmatic review. There is no deadline for the
preapplication, but early submission of preapplications is encouraged
to allow time for meaningful discussions. Formal applications submitted
in response to this notice must be received by 4:30 p.m., EDT, August
5, 1997, to permit timely consideration for award in Fiscal Year 1998.
ADDRESSES: Preapplications referencing Program Notice 97-16 may be sent
to one of the program contacts at the following address: Office of
Health and Environmental Research, Environmental Sciences Division, ER-
74, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD
20874-1290. Formal applications referencing Program Notice 97-16 should
be forwarded to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Research,
Grants and Contract Division, ER-64, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown,
MD 20874-1290, ATTN: Program Notice 97-16. This address also must be
used when submitting applications by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail,
any commercial mail delivery service, or when hand-carried by the
applicant. An original and seven copies of the application must be
submitted; however, applicants are requested not to submit multiple
application copies using more than one delivery or mail service.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Patrick A. Crowley, Office of
Health and Environmental Research, Environmental Sciences Division, ER-
74, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD
20874-1290, telephone (301) 903-3069, fax (301) 903-8519, Internet e-
mail address: p.crowley@oer.doe.gov. or Dr. Wanda Ferrell, Office of
Health and Environmental Research, Environmental Sciences Division, ER-
74, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD
20874-1290, telephone (301) 903-0043, fax (301) 903-8519, Internet e-
mail address: wanda.ferrell@oer.doe.gov. Program information is
available on the DOE/OHER WWW site using the URL http://www.er.doe.gov/
production/oher/ESD__top.html.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice requests applications for grants
to support the following five efforts:
(1) Continuation and enhancement of activities previously funded
by DOE under the auspices of the Carbon Dioxide Research Program
climate research program element and the Computer Hardware, Advanced
Mathematics and Model Physics (CHAMMP) climate model development
program.
(2) Theoretical limits to climate prediction over decade to
multi-century time frames with subcontinental and smaller scale
spatial accuracy.
(3) The development of improved mathematical techniques, model
formulations and computer algorithms for atmosphere, ocean and
coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (GCM) that more
accurately and efficiently describe and predict global climate
system behavior on the time and space scales mentioned above using
advanced, parallel-processing scientific supercomputers.
(4) The development of improved representations of key climate
processes (surface processes, convective transport, etc.) that
accurately simulate these processes on the appropriate scales used
in GCM-based climate models that simulate decade-to-century climate
change.
(5) The development and analysis of long-term, observation based
climate data sets that can be used to test the ability of GCM-based
climate models to realistically simulate and predict climate system
behavior on the above-mentioned time and space scales. The data sets
should be developed from existing observational data bases and not
require the collection of further measurements.
Accurate prediction of climate change on decadal and longer time
scales is a major scientific objective of the Environmental Sciences
Division (ESD). The DOE Climate Change Prediction Program is the next
phase in the evolution of DOE's long-standing climate modeling and
simulation research agenda. It was developed from the integration of
the Computer Hardware, Advanced Mathematics and Model Physics (CHAMMP)
climate model development program with the CO2 Research
Program climate research program element. The program is focused on
developing, testing and applying climate simulation and prediction
models that stay at the leading edge of scientific knowledge and
computational technology. A unique feature of the program is the
establishment of a distributed modeling center involving DOE National
Laboratories, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the non-
Federal research community. The program will develop models based on
more definitive theoretical foundations and improved computational
methods that will run efficiently on future generations of high-
performance scientific supercomputers. The intent is to increase
dramatically both the accuracy and throughput of computer model-based
predictions of future climate system response to the increased
atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases.
To ensure that the program meets the broadest needs of the research
community and the specific needs of ESD, the successful applicants will
participate as members of the Climate Change Prediction Program Science
Team along with selected scientists from related ESD programs. Costs
for the participation in Science Team meetings and workshops should be
included in
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the respondent's application. Yearly estimates for Science Team travel
should be based on one trip of five days to Washington, DC, one trip of
five days to San Francisco, CA, and one trip of five days to Denver,
CO.
Successful applicants for continuation or enhancement of
previously-awarded grants will demonstrate (a) the continued relevance
of their work to the goal of advancing the science of decade-to-multi-
century climate prediction; (b) the quality and relevance of work
conducted under previous support to this goal, including a listing of
publications and presentations; and (c) relevant contributions to the
development of DOE CHAMMP and Climate Modeling programs, including
participation in the organization of meetings and workshops and
collaborations with other DOE investigators. Applicants should include
a special section entitled ``Accomplishments Under Previous Support,''
which addresses items (b) and (c) discussed in this paragraph.
Applicants should be prepared to provide, on short notice, complete
copies of all publications, reports, etc. listed in this section,
should they be required for the review process.
Successful applicants for grants exploring the theoretical limits
of climate prediction will conduct studies of the climate system to
ascertain the capability for computer based climate simulation models
to predict the aspects of the climate system that influence near-
surface temperature, precipitation and winds, decades to centuries in
the future. These studies may include, but are not limited to,
analytical and modeling investigations of the coupled climate system,
or components of the climate system, to identify climate dynamical
mechanisms that influence long-term variability and predictability over
continental and subcontinental spatial scales.
Successful applicants for developing new mathematical techniques
and numerical algorithms will target their research toward methods that
can be incorporated into models running on highly parallel scientific
supercomputers capable of performing over 1011 floating-
point operations per second (100 giga-FLOPS) in climate modeling
simulations. Applicants must demonstrate the role of their research in
improving the accuracy and/or computational efficiency of GCM-based
climate simulation models of the type envisioned for use in making
forecasts of long-term climate change. These methods may be used in the
simulation of any or all of the climate system processes modeled in a
GCM, including, but not limited to, atmospheric and ocean dynamics and
transport, surface energy and mass exchange, atmospheric radiative
transfer, ocean convection, and sea-ice dynamics and thermodynamics.
Applicants in this area must include a plan for the dissemination of
any developed model code, and necessary documentation, to the climate
modeling community.
Successful applicants developing or improving representations of
climate system processes for inclusion in GCM-based climate prediction
models will conduct research to more accurately describe these
processes and their interaction with other aspects of the simulated
climate system. These studies will explore methods for incorporating
the results of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's observational
and experimental programs into model components that accurately
describe climate system processes at the model resolution scales
typically used for decade-to-multi-century climate prediction.
Applicants in this area must include a plan for the dissemination of
any developed model code, and necessary documentation, to the climate
modeling community.
Successful applicants developing model diagnostic data sets will
analyze existing observational data bases to develop time dependent
records of climate variability and climate change that can be used as
tests for climate change predictions. Analysis of the data should
include consideration of the climate dynamical processes that led to
the temporal and spatial variability in the record.
Especially important is the development of diagnostic data sets
that can be used to test model predictions of long-term changes the
near-surface temperature, precipitation and wind climatologies over
continental and sub-continental spatial scales. Applicants in this area
must include a plan to allow the inexpensive dissemination of the
diagnostic data sets in a standard digital format.
It is anticipated that approximately $3,000,000 will be available
for awards in Fiscal Year 1998, contingent upon the availability of
appropriated funds. Multiple year funding of awards is expected, with
out-year funding also contingent upon the availability of appropriated
funds, progress of the research, and programmatic needs. The allocation
of funds within the research areas will depend upon the number and
quality of applications received. It is anticipated that a substantial
fraction of the funds will support continuation of existing research.
Typical awards in this area are $200,000 per year, but range from
$50,000 to $600,000. The technical portion of the application should
not exceed twenty-five (25) double-spaced pages and should include
detailed budgets for each year of support requested. For applications
requesting continuation or enhancements to previously awarded grants,
the ``Accomplishments Under Previous Support'' section should not
exceed ten (10) additional double-spaced pages. An abstract of 200
words or less must be included with the application. Lengthy appendices
are discouraged. Collaborative applications are encouraged. Awards are
expected to begin on or about December 1, 1997.
Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief
preapplication that consists of two to three pages of narrative
describing the research project objectives and methods of
accomplishment. These will be reviewed relative to the scope and
research needs of the DOE's Climate Change Prediction Program.
Principal investigator address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail
address are required parts of the preapplication. A response to each
preapplication discussing the potential program relevance of a formal
application generally will be communicated within 30 days of receipt.
ER's preapplication policy can be found on ER's Grants and Contracts
Web Site at: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/preapp.html.
Applications will be subjected to formal merit review (peer review)
and will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria which
are listed in descending order of importance codified at 10 CFR
605.10(d):
1. Scientific and/or Technical Merit of the Project;
2. Appropriateness of the Proposed Method or Approach;
3. Competency of Applicant's personnel and Adequacy of Proposed
Resources;
4. Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget.
The evaluation will include program policy factors such as the
relevance of the proposed research to the terms of the announcement and
an agency's programmatic needs. Note, external peer reviewers are
selected with regard to both their scientific expertise and the absence
of conflict-of-interest issues. Non-federal reviewers will often be
used, and submission of an application constitutes agreement that this
is acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting institution.
To provide a consistent format for the submission, review and
solicitation of grant applications submitted under this
[[Page 28688]]
notice, the preparation and submission of grant applications must
follow the guidelines given in the Application Guide for the Office of
Energy Research Financial Assistance Program 10 CFR Part 605.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to access ER's Financial Assistance
Application Guide via the World Wide Web at: http://www.er.doe.gov/
production/grants/grants.html. A limited number of paper copies of the
Application Guide are available and may be obtained from Ms. Karen
Carlson, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Health and Environmental
Research, Environmental Sciences Division, ER-74, 19901 Germantown
Road, Germantown, MD 20874. Telephone request may be made by calling
(301) 903-3338 or by Internet e-mail to karen.carlson@oer.doe.gov.
Technical information on the CHAMMP and Climate Modeling Programs
is available on the WWW at the URL http://www.er.doe.gov/production/
oher/GC/ESD__gc.html or from the Office of Scientific and Technical
Information, P.O. Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, telephone (423) 576-
8401.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program
is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR Part
605.
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 16, 1997.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director for Resource Management, Office of Energy Research.
[FR Doc. 97-13791 Filed 5-23-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
