Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Center for Environmental Research
Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program
Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms
This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.
Funding Opportunity Number:
EPA-G2017-STAR-A1, Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms
EPA-G2017-STAR-A2, Early Career: Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number:66.509
Solicitation Opening Date: October 28, 2016
Solicitation Closing Date: January 4, 2017, 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time
Technical Contact:Michael Hiscock(); phone: 202-564-4453
Eligibility Contact:Ron Josephson(); phone: 202-564-7823
Electronic Submissions:Debra M. Jones(); phone: 202-564-7839
Table of Contents:
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Synopsis of Program
Award Information
Eligibility Information
Application Materials
Agency Contacts
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
A. Introduction
B. Background
C. Authority and Regulations
D. Specific Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes
E. References
F. Special Requirements
II. AWARD INFORMATION
III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
A. Eligible Applicants
B. Cost Sharing
C. Other
IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
A. Grants.gov Submittal Requirements and Limited Exception Procedures
B. Application Package Information
C. Content and Form of Application Submission
D. Submission Dates and Times
E. Funding Restrictions
F. Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements
V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION
A. Peer Review
B. Programmatic Review
C. Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS) Review
D. Funding Decisions
E. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation
VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
A. Award Notices
B. Disputes
C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
VII. AGENCY CONTACTS
Access Standard STAR Forms (How to Apply and Required Forms)
View research awarded under previous solicitations (Past Research Funding Opportunities)
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Synopsis of Program:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking regular and early career applications proposing innovative research on the prediction, prevention, control and mitigation of freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) as well as the drivers, life cycle patterns, and fate of and effects from less-common, less-studied, and emerging freshwater HAB species and toxins.
This solicitation provides the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that may involve human subjects research. Human subjects research supported by the EPA is governed by EPA Regulation 40 CFR Part 26 (Protection of Human Subjects). This includes the Common Rule at subpart A and prohibitions and additional protections for pregnant women and fetuses, nursing women, and children at subparts B, C, and D. Research meeting the regulatory definition of intentional exposure research found in subpart B is prohibited by that subpart in pregnant women, nursing women, and children. Research meeting the regulatory definition of observational research found in subparts C and D is subject to the additional protections found in those subparts for pregnant women and fetuses (subpart C) and children (subpart D). All applications must include a Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS, as described in Section IV.C.5.c of this solicitation), and if the project involves human subjects research, it will be subject to an additional level of review prior to funding decisions being made as described in Sections V.C and V.D of this solicitation.
Guidance and training for investigators conducting EPA-funded research involving human subjects may be obtained here:
Basic Information about Human Subjects Research
Basic EPA Policy for Protection of Subjects in Human Research Conducted or Supported by EPA
In addition to regular awards, this solicitation includes the opportunity for early career awards. The purpose of the early career award is to fund research projects smaller in scope and budget by early career Principal Investigators (PIs). Please see Section III of this Request for Applications (RFA) for details on the early career eligibility criteria.
Award Information:
Anticipated Type of Award: Grant
Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately four regular and three early-career awards
Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $4 million total for all awards
Potential Funding per Award: Up to a total of $760,000 for regular awards and $320,000 for early career awards, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of three years. Cost-sharing is not required. Proposals with budgets exceeding the total award limits will not be considered.
Eligibility Information:
Public nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes public institutions of higher education and hospitals) and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes private institutions of higher education and hospitals) located in the U.S., state and local governments, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, and U.S. territories or possessions are eligible to apply. Special eligibility criteria apply to the early career award portion of this RFA. See full announcement for more details.
Application Materials:
To apply under this solicitation, use the application package available at Grants.gov (for further submission information see Section IV.F. “Submission Instructions and other Submission Requirements”). Note: With the exception of the current and pending support form (available atHow to Apply and Required Forms), all necessary forms are included in the electronic application package. Make sure to include the current and pending support form in your Grants.gov submission.
If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, you need to allow approximately one month to complete the registration process. Please note that the registration process also requires that your organization have a unique entity identifier (formerly ‘DUNS number’) and a current registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) and the process of obtaining both could take a month or more. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the submission deadline. This registration, and electronic submission of your application, must be performed by an authorized representative of your organization.
If you do not have the technical capability to utilize the Grants.gov application submission process for this solicitation, see Section IV.A below for additional guidance and instructions.
Agency Contacts:
Technical Contact:Michael Hiscock(); phone: 202-564-4453
Eligibility Contact:Ron Josephson(); phone: 202-564-7823
Electronic Submissions:Debra M. Jones(); phone: 202-564-7839
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
A. Introduction
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) and associated hypoxia events have devastating consequences for ecosystems, communities and the health of humans, pets, livestock, and wildlife (NSTC, 2016; U.S. EPA, 2015). Recent large scale HAB events in lakes and reservoirs across the country, as well as in large river systems (e.g., Ohio River), emphasize the need for further research to improve water quality and protect public health. HABs are defined here as the excessive growth of various species of phytoplankton, protists, cyanobacteria, and macro and benthic algae whose proliferation negatively impacts water quality, aquatic ecosystem stability, and animal and human health. These harmful blooms may consist of toxic or nontoxic species, though both may have negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems and drinking water sources. HAB toxins may accumulate in the environment and throughout the food web and in drinking water, severely affecting the health of secondary and tertiary consumers. Humans can be exposed to HAB toxins through drinking water consumption, recreational activities and consuming contaminated fauna (Zurawell et al., 2005). Exposure to these toxins through these various pathways may cause symptoms such as gastrointestinal distress, kidney and liver toxicity, skin rashes, respiratory distress, muscle and joint pain and neurological symptoms (Hudnell, 2008; NSTC, 2016). While anthropogenically-stimulated high biomass bloom events may not necessarily produce toxins, they may cause hypoxia or anoxia, alter food webs and stimulate pathogenic bacterial growth that disrupts ecosystem balance and function (Wells et al., 2015).
In June 2014, Congress reauthorized the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA 2014, P.L. 113-124), recognizing concerns related to HABs and hypoxia. Modifications extended the scope of the legislation to include freshwater HABs and hypoxia and acknowledged the need for further coordinated action across the Federal sector. While HABs and hypoxia occur in marine, estuarine, and freshwater ecosystems, the focus of this RFA will be on applications proposing innovative research on the prediction, prevention, control and mitigation offreshwaterHarmful Algal Blooms (HABs) as well as the drivers, life cycle patterns, and fate of and effects from less-common, less-studied, and emergingfreshwaterHAB species and toxins. Specifically, the RFA seeks applications on non-agriculturefreshwatersthat are important to aquatic ecosystems, drinking water, and recreational activity. Research related to retention ponds, detention ponds and stormwater control are not of interest, or responsive, under this RFA.
In addition to regular awards, this solicitation includes the opportunity for early career awards. The purpose of the early career award is to fund research projects smaller in scope and budget by early career PIs. Please see Section III of this RFA for details on the early career eligibility criteria.
EPA recognizes that it is important to engage all available minds to address the environmental challenges the nation faces. At the same time, EPA seeks to expand the environmental conversation by including members of communities which may have not previously participated in such dialogues to participate in EPA programs. For this reason, EPA strongly encourages all eligible applicants identified in Section III, including minority serving institutions (MSIs), to apply under this opportunity.
For purposes of this solicitation, the following are considered MSIs:
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1061). A list of these schools can be found atWhite House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities;
- Tribal Colleges and Universities, as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059(c)). A list of these schools can be found atAmerican Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities;
- Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1101a(a)(5). There is no list of HSIs. HSIs are institutions of higher education that, at the time of application submittal, have an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25% Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application for this grant; and
- Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; (AANAPISIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059g(a)(2)). There is no list of AANAPISIs. AANAPISIs are institutions of higher education that, at the time of application submittal, have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is not less than 10 % students who are Asian American or Native American Pacific Islander.
B. Background
The occurrence of HABs is increasingly common in inland freshwater ecosystems. HABs have been recorded in the waters of all 50 states (NOAA, 2016), including in small rivers (Klamath River, CA, Upper East River, WI; Merriman, 2015; Jacoby and Kann, 2007), small lakes (Black Lake, ID, Lake Oswego and Eel Lake, OR; Kann and Falter, 1986), large rivers (Mississippi River; Baker and Baker, 1979) and reservoirs (Copco, Iron Gate, CA, Cascade Reservior, ID; Jacoby and Kann, 2007). Yet basic questions of HAB occurrence, extent, intensity, and timing are largely unanswered (NSTC, 2016; Ho and Michalak, 2015; U.S. EPA, 2015). HABs occur when physical, chemical and biological conditions are optimal for bloom development. Previous research identifies factors that influence the likelihood of bloom development including physical drivers such as rainfall, extreme events, stratification, currents, wind, and mixing as well as temperature and light penetration. Chemical factors such as acidification and macro- and micronutrient input and biological factors such as grazing pressure, competition and behavior all affect the probability of bloom events (Paerl et al., 2014; Wells et al, 2015). Researchers hypothesize that the increase in documented HAB events may be attributed to increased awareness of toxic species, excessive nutrient loading, an increase in the frequency and magnitude of extreme events, and altered nutrient dynamics due to invasive species (Hallegraeff et al., 2003).
HAB research is complex as environmental drivers are multifaceted, interrelated, and species- and toxin-specific. Toxins frequently associated with blooms include anatoxin, cylindrospermopsin, nodularin, saxitoxin, and microcystin. The phylum Cyanobacteria include a significant number of the toxic freshwater HABs genera includingPlanktothrix,Microcystis, Cylindrospermopsis, Anabena,andAphanozomenon. HABs occur globally and are increasingly common in inland lakes, ponds, reservoirs and rivers and contribute to various socioeconomic and ecological effects (Carmichael and Boyer, 2016). HAB toxins are responsible for illness and death of wild and domestic animals and have been linked to human health issues. There have been various cases in freshwater inland systems where HABs have threatened human health, such as the “do not drink” water advisory in Toledo, Ohio. In 2007, 11 states reported 70 pet, livestock, and wildlife mortality and morbidity cases related to freshwater HABs (Backer et al., 2015). The Harmful Algal Bloom-related Illness Surveillance System reported 176 cases of human illnesses reported in association with HABs in 11 states from 2007-2011 (Backer et al., 2015). Symptoms can be mild to severe and even life threatening in some cases. The increase in HAB occurrences has triggered the need to track health issues related to HABs. The One Health Harmful Algal Bloom System (OHHABS) collects nation-wide environmental and health data due to HAB related illnesses.
While some cyanotoxins have been a priority research target due to their known consequences to human health and have been well studied, there has been limited research on many other known cyanotoxins and their congeners, cynanobacteria-produced bioactive compounds, and emerging freshwater HAB species and toxins (Lopez et al., 2008). For example, golden algae (Prymnesiumparvum) was first observed in North America in the 1980’s. In the past decade there has also been an increasing amount of the invasivePrymnesiumparvumin inland lakes and rivers in the United States with outbreaks in at least 18 states. This algae has compromised drinking water supplies, caused fish kills and burdened the economy with tens of millions of dollars in natural resources damages (Brooks et al., 2011). In Texas alone,Prymnesiumparvumis responsible for 35 million fish kills (Brooks et al., 2011). The rapid proliferation of this toxic, invasive species is just one example of potentially threatening emerging species whose growth and proliferation are less well understood (Hambright, 2012).
Developing a predictive understanding of the occurrence, extent, intensity, and timing of HABs is dependent on understanding the interrelated and species-specific environmental drivers of HABs and toxin production. Previous research has shown water temperature is an important driver as it influences both the physical environment and biological community. Temperature has been shown to affect motility, germination, nutrient uptake, photosynthesis and physiological processes (Eppley, 1972; Yamochi and Joh, 1986; Lewis et al., 1993; Geider and La Roche, 2002; Beardall and Raven, 2004; Montresor et al., 2006; Bissinger et al., 2008). Temperature affects survival, photosynthesis and biomass growth and may be related to toxicity in some species (Wells et al., 2015).
Further, temperature effects stratification and intensification of the pycnocline which increases the likelihood of HABs development. Greater stratification leads to the concentration of nutrients and the development of thin layers which become hotspots for growth and HAB toxin production (Figueiras et al., 2006; Berdalet et al., 2012). Light intensity has also been shown to influence toxin production as under high light intensities phytoplankton alter photosynthetic and photoprotective pigments (Jeffrey et al., 1999). For example, many MAA species (mycosporine like amino acids) known for their UV adsorbing properties are also toxic and form dense blooms. Specifically, cyanobacteria have photoprotective carotenoids and UV absorbing compounds which allow them to grow in intense radiation (Garcia-Pichel and Castenholz, 1993; Mohlin and Wulff, 2009; Carreto and Carignan, 2011; Mohlin et al., 2012). Inmicrocystis aeruginosa, microcystin production increases with radiation (Kaebernick et al., 2000; Van de Waal et al., 2011). Under the accepted paradigm, HAB species are photoautotrophs with simple macronutrient needs; therefore, high biomass events can be attributed to anthropogenic eutrophication and increased nitrogen and phosphorus loading (Rabalais et al., 2010; Paerl et al., 2014). Micronutrients may play a role in bloom development but this is not well documented (Wells et al., 2015).
In general, HABs are understood to be increasing spatially and temporally as a result of the increase in anthropogenic macronutrient inputs into surface waters (NRC, 2000; U.S. EPA, 2011; Bricker et al., 2008). This global phenomenon is often influenced by regional and local factors. For example, differences in watershed sources of nutrients can affect the amount, timing of delivery, forms (i.e., nutrient speciation of both nitrogen and phosphorus), and stoichiometric ratios of these forms in surface waters (Finlay et al., 2010). These factors, in turn, may be influential in creating optimal conditions for the proliferation of certain species and toxins (Gobler et al., 2016).
Nutrients of allochthonous and autochthonous origin are both critical for algal bloom development. Nutrients from point and nonpoint sources have immediate effects as they enter a body of water but also have long term effects due to nutrient retention and regeneration in sediments. Benthic fluxes of nitrogen and phosphorus release nutrients to the water column where they are available for uptake by algae (Sundback et al., 2003; Song et al., 2015; Smith and Swarzenski, 2012). These nutrients released from sediments can have a significant effect on primary production in marine and freshwater ecosystems (Dortch et al., 1997). Benthic nitrogen and phosphorous fluxes can trigger high levels of phytoplankton biomass and the decomposition and mineralization of this biomass affects sediment respiration, redox potential and nutrient availability (Kemp, 2005; Carstensen et al., 2005). Concentrations of toxins in sediments can be explained by both sediment and water column parameters (Song et al., 2015).