Bering Ecosystem Study  (BEST)

PROGRAM GUIDELINES

Solicitation  07-533

Please be advised that the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) includes revised guidelines to implement the mentoring provisions of the America COMPETES Act (ACA) (Pub. L. No. 110-69, Aug. 9, 2007.) As specified in the ACA, each proposal that requests funding to support postdoctoral researchers must include a description of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such individuals. Proposals that do not comply with this requirement will be returned without review (see the PAPP Guide Part I: Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II for further information about the implementation of this new requirement).

SYNOPSIS

This solicitation seeks proposals focused on the ecosystem of the eastern continental shelf of the Bering Sea (see the Program  Description section for details) and designed to develop understanding of  the effects of a varying sea-ice cover on the shelf ecosystem, to project the potential changes in response to anticipated climate variations on decadal time scales, and to assess the vulnerability and sustainability of the local communities to such changes. Particular emphasis should be placed on development of proposals that clearly and significantly contribute to an ecosystem level understanding of the Eastern Bering Sea shelf.  This solicitation draws upon the community planning embodied in the Bering Ecosystem Study Science Plan (http://www.arcus.org/Bering/reports/downloads/BEST_Science_Plan.pdf), Sustaining the Bering Ecosystem: a Social Sciences Plan (http://www.arcus.org/Bering/reports/downloads/HBEST_Science_Plan.pdf), and the Implementation Plan for the Bering Ecosystem Study (BEST) (http://www.arcus.org/Bering/reports/downloads/BEST_Implementation_Plan.pdf); however, it should not be considered the full implementation of or confined only to activities described in any of these plans. 

NSF will coordinate this solicitation, and the resulting science, with the North Pacific Research Board’s (NPRB) Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (www.nprb.org/research/bsierp_intro.htm).  The synergies developed through this partnership will allow support for a comprehensive vertically-integrated investigation of the ecosystem of the eastern continental shelf of the Bering Sea.  Proposals funded by each organization will be expected to mesh smoothly to produce a seamless, coordinated research program.

Abstracts of Recent Awards Made Through This Program