Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

The US Geological Survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for state-of-the-art research on sediment meiofaunal community dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The research will compare sediment communities in zones designated as impacted and reference zones following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. The USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC, Gainesville, FL) is offering a funding opportunity for research and technical assistance relevant to: “DWH Gulf of Mexico Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Community Restoration: sediment meiofaunal community assessment in support of the Habitat Assessment and Evaluation Project”. The USGS conducts ecological studies in support of understanding restoration plans for the GOM, in conjunction and coordination with NOAA, as well as other state and federal partners. Research conducted by USGS scientists, and their research partners improves understanding of GOM sediment environments, continued environmental change, and responses to restoration actions in the deep GOM. USGS’s research provides valuable information, which is used to guide informed decisions during planning, restoration, and adaptive management throughout the duration of long-term restoration projects. The USGS is offering this opportunity to CESU partners with the capability to sample, quantify, and identify deep-sea sediment meiofaunal communities in the GOM impacted by the DWH, identify best practices for tracking changes to these communities, and predicting recovery trajectories. It is anticipated that there will be up to three field sampling years, followed by two years of analysis and synthesis.