[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3884-3886]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1866]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Research


Energy Research Financial Assistance Program Notice 97-07; 
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Health and Environmental Research (OHER) of the 
Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby 
announces its interest in receiving applications to support the 
experimental and theoretical study of radiation and clouds in 
conjunction with the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program as 
part of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).

DATES: Formal applications submitted in response to this notice must be 
received by 4:30 p.m., EDT, April 29, 1997, to permit timely 
consideration for award in fiscal year 1998.

ADDRESSES: Formal applications should be forwarded to: U.S. Department 
of Energy, Office of Energy Research, Grants and Contracts Division, 
ER-64, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, ATTN: Program 
Notice 97-07. This address also must be used when submitting 
applications by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail, any commercial mail 
delivery service, or when hand-carried by the applicant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Patrick A. Crowley, Office of 
Health and Environmental Research, Environmental Sciences Division, ER-
74, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 
20874-1290. Telephone: (301) 903-3069, fax (301) 903-8519, or by 
Internet e-mail address, [email protected]. Program information is 
available on the ARM WWW page: http://www.arm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice requests applications for grants 
to support the following four efforts:
    (1) Continuation and enhancement of activities previously funded by 
DOE under the auspices of the ARM program via responses to earlier 
announcements.
    (2) The modeling of clouds and radiation including aerosol effects 
for use in General Circulation Models (GCMs) and related models. 
Analysis of ARM and other data for refining, supporting, and validating 
model development are key aspects of research sought in this category. 
These activities should be closely tied to the analysis and use of data 
from the current and

[[Page 3885]]

planned facilities at three Cloud and Radiation Testbed sites: the 
first is centered near Lamont, Oklahoma; the second has instruments 
operating on the Island of Manus, Papua, New Guinea, and later will 
have other sites in the Tropical Western Pacific; and the third site in 
the North Slope of Alaska region.
    (3) The extension of fundamental research results or methodology to 
the development and evaluation of new analytic methods and algorithms 
that take advantage of ARM data. Methods and algorithms that are 
proposed to evolve from these efforts must be suitable for automated 
use in the routine processing of ARM data streams. Successful 
applications will use data from current or projected ARM instruments 
(singly, in combination, or in combination with data from outside the 
ARM program, e.g. Satellite data), to provide new ARM community data 
streams of high credibility and useability within the ARM Science Team.
    (4) The development of advanced instrumentation for high accuracy/
precision radiometric observations and for profiling of all three 
phases of water in the atmosphere and lower stratosphere. Short wave 
radiometry is of particular present interest.
    The use of ARM data to support activities in other programs with 
goals related to those of ARM through non-ARM funded participation in 
the ARM Science Team is encouraged. Researchers whose activities align 
with ARM goals and for whom this is a desirable option are encouraged 
to contact the ARM Program Office.
    One of the major scientific objectives of the Environmental 
Sciences Division (ESD) is to improve the performance of predictive 
models of the Earth's climate and to thereby make predictions of the 
response of the climate system to increasing concentrations of 
greenhouse gases. The purpose of the ARM Program is to improve the 
treatment of radiation and clouds in the models used to predict future 
climate, particularly the General Circulation Models (GCMs). This 
program is one element of a major effort to improve the quality of 
current models and to support the development of sets of climate models 
capable of making regional prediction of climate and climate change. 
The major component of the ARM Program is an experimental testbed for 
the study of models of the terrestrial radiation field, properties of 
clouds, the full life cycle of clouds, and the incorporation of these 
process-level models into climate models. This testbed is referred to 
as the Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART). The first ARM CART site 
began operation in calendar year 1992, with instruments spread over an 
area of approximately 60,000 sq. km., centered on Lamont, Oklahoma. The 
Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) site will consist initially of island-
based suites of instrumentation focused on cloud and radiative 
properties in the tropical ocean environment. The first of the TWP 
Atmospheric Radiation and Clouds Stations (ARCS) is operating on the 
island of Manus, Papua New Guinea, and the second is planned for Nauru 
in 1998. Similar instrumentation will be deployed to a North Slope of 
Alaska site late in 1997.
    To ensure that the program meets the broadest needs of the research 
community and the specific needs of the DOE, ESD, successful applicants 
will participate as ARM Science Team members along with selected 
scientists from other ESD programs that relate to the ARM Program. 
Costs for participation in ARM Science Team meetings and subcommittee 
meetings should be based on two trips of 1 week each to Washington, 
D.C., and two trips of 3 days each to Chicago, Illinois.
    Successful applicants for continuation or enhancement of previously 
awarded grants will demonstrate (a) the continued relevance of their 
work to the goals of the ARM Program; (b) the quality and relevance of 
work conducted under previous support to the goals of the ARM Program, 
including a listing of publications and presentations; and (c) relevant 
contribution to the development of the ARM program under previous 
funding. Applications should include a special section covering items 
(b) and (c) entitled ``Accomplishments Under Previous Support.''
    Successful applicants for grants in support of modeling of clouds 
and radiation will demonstrate the role of their research in the 
improvement of GCMs and/or related models and delineate the path that 
their results will take to make those improvements. Successful 
applicants will be involved in one or more of three activities: (a) the 
development of models and parameterization of radiative transfer or 
cloud processes, including aerosol effects, or the testing of these 
models in GCMs or process-level models; (b) experimental studies at 
CART facilities to test elements of models and their performance or to 
obtain key laboratory data; and/or (c) the analysis of existing data, 
including field data and satellite data, to support model development 
or testing.
    Successful applicants for participation in the development of new 
analytic methods and derived data products, will demonstrate how the 
proposed efforts support the ARM Science Team members involved in the 
other categories of research. Applications in this area must recognize 
that the program has a developed infrastructure for data treatment and 
distribution. The support looked for in this area involves a deeper 
more sophisticated algorithmic approach than presently in use. The 
successful applications will accent a strong scientific approach to the 
problem of data fusion.
    Because ARM is well into its intended life cycle, successful 
applicants for participation in the ARM instrument development program 
will meet either (1) immediate and near-term needs of the ARM Program 
for improved radiometric sensors, both broad-band and spectrally 
resolved or for instruments capable of high-precision radiometric 
calibration, or (2) immediate and near-term needs of the ARM Program 
for improved systems for the measurement of the spatial distribution of 
all three phases of water, with particular emphasis on vertical 
profiles. In each case the application should contain, in appropriate 
detail, a discussion of the accuracy and precision of the proposed 
measurement methodology as a function of wavelength or altitude 
respectively, and the relevance of the proposed measurements to test 
models of atmospheric radiative processes. It has been suggested that 
the data available from the array of instruments planned or in place in 
the program suffer from too little strongly calibrated short wave data. 
Applications which address this concern in the near term are 
anticipated to be of high interest.
    Participants in the adjunct ARM Science Team will apply ARM data to 
research programs of interest to DOE and related to ARM goals, but are 
funded by other sources. While ARM data is available through the ARM 
Data Archive at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ARM Science Team 
participation provides investigators the opportunity to receive 
tailored data products from the ARM Experiment Center at Pacific 
Northwest Laboratory and the opportunity to participate in the design 
of ARM facilities and experiments. While there will not be funds to 
support the research of applicants under this portion of this notice, 
some funds may be available to support the travel of successful 
applicants to participate in ARM Science Team activities as indicated 
below. Research interest and objectives must be strongly related to the 
general goals of ARM outlined above; Global

[[Page 3886]]

Energy and Water Experiment (GEWEX) and its associated programs; the 
study of aerosols and their effect on the radiative transfer, including 
visibility studies; and the transfer of UV-B radiation through the 
atmosphere.
    The efforts proposed in support of all five categories should have 
as a focus the conduct of research using the CART facilities either in 
operation or being developed for ARM. Successful applicants will 
participate in the continuing development of the detailed experimental 
approaches for CART and guide the evolving development and acquisition 
of the experimental equipment.
    It is anticipated that approximately $3,000,000 will be available 
for awards in fiscal year 1998, contingent upon availability of 
appropriated funds. Multiple year funding of awards is expected, also 
contingent upon availability of funds. The allocation of funds within 
the research areas will depend on the number and quality of the 
applications received. It is anticipated that a substantial fraction of 
the funds will support continuation of existing research. Typical ESD 
awards are $200,000 per year, but range from $50,000 to $600,000. 
Information about development, submission, and the selection process, 
and other policies and procedures may be found in 10 CFR Part 605, and 
in the Application Guide for the Office of Energy Research Financial 
Assistance Program. The Application Guide is available from the U.S. 
Department of Energy, Office of Health and Environmental Research, 
Environmental Sciences Division, ER-74, 19901 Germantown Road, 
Germantown, MD 20874-1290. Telephone requests may be made by calling 
(301) 903-3338. Electronic access to ER's Financial Assistance Guide is 
possible via the Internet using the following WWW site address: http://
www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html.
    Collaborative applications are encouraged. Awards are anticipated 
to begin on or about November 1, 1997.
    The technical portion of the application should not exceed twenty-
five (25) doubled-spaced pages. For applications requesting 
continuation or enhancements to previously awarded grants, the 
``Accomplishments Under Previous Support'' section should not exceed 
ten (10) additional double-spaced pages. An abstract of less than 200 
words must be included with the application. Lengthy appendices are 
discouraged.
    Technical information on the ARM Program is available from the ARM 
Program Office at Pacific Northwest Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, 
WA 99352, telephone (509) 375-6964, or from the Office of Scientific 
and Technical Information, P.O. Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, telephone 
(615) 576-8401.
    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program 
is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR Part 
605.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 17, 1997.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director for Resource Management, Office of Energy Research.
[FR Doc. 97-1866 Filed 1-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P