Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G25AS00066

Opportunity Information: Apply for G25AS00066

This funding opportunity (G25AS00066) is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the US Geological Survey (USGS), specifically through the Water Mission Area (WMA) Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) Research and Development Program. The focus is on advancing high spatial resolution soil moisture mapping by using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with L-band sensing capabilities. The core idea is to close a major observation gap in hydrology: soil moisture can change dramatically over short distances at field and watershed scales, yet the main measurement approaches available today either cover very large areas at coarse resolution or measure only at single points.

The opportunity is motivated by the limitations of existing soil moisture data streams. Satellite L-band missions such as SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) provide broad coverage but at a relatively coarse spatial resolution, on the order of roughly 40 km, and revisit intervals of about 2 to 3 days. On the other end of the spectrum, in-situ soil moisture sensors provide high-quality measurements but only at the exact locations where they are installed, which makes it hard to represent the true spatial variability across a landscape. NGWOS has been working to improve this situation by expanding in-situ monitoring networks and by adopting additional approaches such as cosmic ray neutron sensing at Innovation Test Beds (ITBs) across the United States. A key NGWOS target is to enable daily soil moisture mapping at about 1 km resolution, but developing and validating those kinds of products requires spatially continuous, high-detail datasets that can bridge the scale gap between satellites and point measurements.

This is where the UAV-based L-band sensing component comes in. By flying an L-band sensor on a UAV, researchers can collect spatially dense observations over targeted areas, producing datasets that are far more continuous than ground point networks and far higher resolution than typical satellite products. The work supported under this award is intended to help generate the kinds of intermediate-scale measurements needed to develop, test, calibrate, and evaluate next-generation soil moisture mapping methods, particularly those aiming for kilometer-scale daily products. In practical terms, the funded research is expected to contribute to improved methods for observing and mapping soil moisture heterogeneity, which is critical for applications like drought monitoring, runoff and flood forecasting, agricultural water management, and watershed-scale hydrologic modeling.

The award is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, meaning it is structured as a partnership-oriented cooperative agreement rather than a traditional grant with minimal agency involvement. CESUs are collaborative networks designed to support research, technical assistance, and education through partnerships among federal agencies and non-federal institutions. Eligibility is limited: applicants must be a participating partner in the Chesapeake Watershed CESU Program. The funding falls under CFDA 15.808 and the activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, aligning it clearly with applied R&D rather than service delivery or infrastructure procurement.

Key administrative details provided in the notice include an award ceiling of $320,000, a posting (creation) date of 2024-11-04, and an original closing date of 2024-12-04. The issuing agency is the Geological Survey (USGS). The opportunity anticipates making an award (the listing notes expected awards, though the exact number is not clearly stated in the provided source text). Overall, the program is seeking a CESU-affiliated research partner capable of conducting UAV-based L-band soil moisture observation work that directly supports NGWOS goals for producing more accurate, more spatially representative soil moisture maps at scales useful for watershed science and water resources decision-making.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem 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 2024-11-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-12-04. (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 $320,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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