Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G22AS00364

Opportunity Information: Apply for G22AS00364

This grant opportunity is a US Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement aimed at supporting research on how paraglacial processes affect rock slope stability in Prince William Sound, Alaska, with a specific focus on landslides capable of generating tsunamis. It sits within the USGS Landslide Hazards Program, which investigates the conditions and mechanisms that lead to landslides, and it aligns with ongoing federal efforts to better understand and anticipate tsunamigenic landslides in coastal Alaska. The concern driving the work is that as tidewater glaciers continue to retreat due to deglaciation, slopes that were previously supported or influenced by glacier ice may become more unstable, increasing the likelihood of large failures that could trigger waves threatening communities, recreation areas, shipping routes, and sensitive natural and cultural resources.

The scientific motivation centers on the idea that glaciated landscapes do not simply become unstable because ice disappears; instead, glaciers affect adjacent rock slopes through multiple, interacting pathways over time. These pathways include temperature changes in the rock mass, shifting groundwater and infiltration patterns as meltwater routing evolves, and changes in stress conditions as the physical support (buttressing) of ice is reduced. The opportunity emphasizes that the traditional explanation of "glacial debuttressing" (loss of mechanical support from ice) is not sufficient on its own. Rather, the USGS is looking to expand this framework using coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) thinking, where thermal, hydrologic, and mechanical boundary conditions evolve together as glacier surface position and elevation change. Those evolving boundary conditions can progressively damage rock masses, eventually pushing certain slopes toward critical stress states where even modest additional ice loss could lead to acceleration and catastrophic failure.

The work being solicited is described as field-informed and numerically based THM modeling of paraglacial rock slopes. In practical terms, this points to a research effort that combines observations and measurements from real-world slopes (field data that constrain geometry, fracture patterns, material properties, temperature regimes, water pressures, or evidence of deformation) with computational modeling that can simulate how stress, heat, and fluid pressures change through time as glaciers retreat. A key deliverable implicit in the description is improved understanding of why some glacier-adjacent slopes become particularly sensitive, meaning they may fail in response to relatively small changes in ice support. By identifying the conditions that lead to critical stressing and eventual failure, the project is intended to help the USGS anticipate future hazard trajectories under continued global deglaciation trends.

This is also framed as a strongly collaborative project rather than a stand-alone academic study. USGS researchers are already actively working on this problem, and the funding mechanism is explicitly cooperative, meaning substantial involvement and coordination with USGS staff is expected. The intended public benefit is the ability for USGS to provide more actionable hazard insights to a wide range of partners who may need to plan for or respond to landslide-tsunami threats. The opportunity specifically notes potential end users and stakeholders such as the State of Alaska, the National Tsunami Warning Center, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Army, and local tribes and communities in southeast Alaska, along with others who could be affected through impacts to economic assets, cultural sites, ecosystems, and maritime traffic.

Administratively, the award is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, which is designed to connect federal agencies with partner organizations for research, technical assistance, and education. Eligibility is restricted to participating partners of the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. The opportunity is listed as discretionary funding and uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, indicating the federal agency anticipates an active role during project execution. The funding opportunity number is G22AS00364, the CFDA number is 15.808, and the activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development. The opportunity was created on May 18, 2022, with an original closing date of June 17, 2022, and it lists an award ceiling of $210,265.

• 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 Colorado Plateau 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 2022-05-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-06-17. (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 $210,265.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G22AS00364

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