[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 235 (Friday, December 6, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72657-72660]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-30919]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice 03-15; 
Ocean Carbon Sequestration Research Program

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) of 
the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby 
announces its interest in receiving applications for research on Carbon 
Sequestration in the Oceans.

DATES: Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief 
preapplication for programmatic review by January 31, 2003, although 
later preapplications will still be accepted. The deadline for receipt 
of formal applications is 4:30 p.m., E.S.T., March 20, 2003, to be 
accepted for merit review and to permit timely consideration for award 
in Fiscal Year 2003 and early Fiscal Year 2004.

ADDRESSES: Preapplications should be sent e-mail to Dr. Anna Palmisano 
at [email protected].
    Formal applications in response to this solicitation are to be 
electronically submitted by an authorized institutional business 
official through DOE's Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) 
at: http://e-center.doe.gov/. IIPS provides for the posting of 
solicitations and receipt of applications in a paperless environment 
via the Internet. In order to submit applications through IIPS your 
business official will need to register at the IIPS Web site. The 
Office of Science will include attachments as part of this notice that 
provide the appropriate forms in PDF fillable format that are to be 
submitted through IIPS. Color images should be submitted in IIPS as a 
separate file in PDF format and identified as such. These images should 
be kept to a minimum due to the limitations of reproducing them. They 
should be numbered and referred to in the body of the technical 
scientific application as Color image 1, Color image 2, etc. Questions 
regarding the operation of IIPS may be E-mailed to the IIPS Help Desk 
at: center.doe.gov">HelpDesk@e-center.doe.gov or you may call the help desk at: (800) 
683-0751. Further information on the use of IIPS by the Office of 
Science is available at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html.
    If you are unable to submit an application through IIPS please 
contact the Grants and Contracts Division, Office of Science at: (301) 
903-5212 in order to gain assistance for submission through IIPS or to 
receive special approval and instructions on how to submit printed 
applications.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Anna Palmisano, SC-74, Office of 
Biological and Environmental Research, Germantown Building, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 
20585-1290, telephone: (301) 903-9963, E-mail: 
[email protected], fax: (301) 903-8519. The full text of 
Program

[[Page 72658]]

Notice 03-15 is available via the Internet using the following Web site 
address: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Predictions of global energy use in the next 
century suggest a continued increase in carbon emissions and rising 
concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere 
unless major changes are made in the way we produce and use energy--in 
particular, how we manage carbon. One way to manage carbon is to use 
energy more efficiently to reduce our need for a major energy and 
carbon source--fossil fuel combustion. A second way is to increase our 
use of low-carbon and carbon-free fuels and technologies, such as 
nuclear power and renewable sources such as solar energy, wind power, 
and biomass fuels. The third way to manage carbon is by ``carbon 
sequestration'': The capture and long term storage of carbon either 
from the global energy system or directly from the atmosphere in 
oceanic or terrestrial ecosystems.
    Any viable system for sequestering carbon must have several key 
characteristics. It must be effective and cost-competitive with 
alternative means, such as renewable energy. Unintended environmental 
consequences must be benign compared to alternative solutions, 
including no action. A carbon sequestration system must be able to be 
monitored quantitatively and verified, because contributions to carbon 
sequestration almost certainly need to be measured. Research sponsored 
by this program could contribute to any of these goals.
    This solicitation invites applications for basic research projects 
on the purposeful enhancement of carbon sequestration in the oceans. 
Although many options exist to capture and sequester carbon dioxide, 
the focus of this solicitation is on fundamental research that would 
enable: (a) the enhancement of the absorption and retention of 
atmospheric carbon dioxide by ocean biota; and (b) scientifically-based 
analyses of the viability of using the deep ocean to store carbon 
dioxide that has been already separated, captured, and transported. The 
proposed research should be fundamental in nature, and address one or 
more of the technical areas of interest described below. Applications 
that test demonstrations of engineered technologies are not relevant to 
this solicitation.

Technical Areas of Interest

    The ocean represents a large current sink for the sequestration of 
anthropogenic CO2 emissions as well as a large potential for 
purposeful enhancement of the current sink. Two strategies for 
enhancing carbon sequestration in the ocean are the focus of the DOE 
Ocean Carbon Sequestration Research Program. One strategy is 
enhancement of the net oceanic uptake from the atmosphere by 
fertilization of phytoplankton with micronutrients, such as iron. A 
second strategy is the direct injection of a relatively pure 
CO2 stream to ocean depths greater than 1000 m. Sources of 
CO2 for direct injection might include power plants or other 
industries. This solicitation seeks applications that specifically 
address the long term effectiveness and potential environmental 
consequences of ocean sequestration by these two strategies. The 
program currently funds projects in a wide range of scientific 
disciplines including marine biology and ecology; biological, physical, 
and chemical oceanography; computational science and modeling; and 
physical chemistry and engineering. Titles and abstracts of research 
projects currently being funded under the DOE Ocean Carbon 
Sequestration Research Program may be accessed at http://cdiac2.esd.ornl.gov/ocean.html.

Iron Fertilization

    Much has been learned about the important role of iron in 
photosynthesis over the past 15 years through both laboratory and field 
experiments on iron enrichment. Iron deficiency has been shown to limit 
the efficiency of photosystem II in phytoplankton. Evidence from 
paleoceanographic samples also links iron supply with marine primary 
production and carbon flux. However, critical questions remain: How 
does iron enrichment accelerate carbon flux in high nutrient, low 
chlorophyll (HNLC), low nutrient, low chlorophyll (LNLC), sub-mixed 
layer and coastal ecosystems? What are the time scales of 
remineralization of the fixed carbon? What are the long term ecological 
and biogeochemical consequences of fertilization on surface and 
midwater processes? Basic research is needed on the coupling of iron 
and carbon cycles in the ocean. Our understanding of the 
biogeochemistry of iron (its concentrations, sources, sinks and 
ligands) in marine systems is also insufficient to assess the viability 
of using iron fertilization as a strategy for enhancing carbon 
sequestration.
    The accurate measure of carbon flux following iron fertilization is 
critical to the objective evaluation of this strategy for carbon 
sequestration. We need to understand the regulation of carbon fluxes 
and the role of mineral ballast in export of organic carbon from the 
surface to the deep ocean. The potential impact of iron fertilization 
on the global carbon budget, as well as verification and duration of 
carbon sequestration are yet unknown. The complexity of marine 
ecosystems necessitates careful research on unintended environmental 
consequences of iron fertilization. These consequences may include the 
potential to impact key oceanic biogeochemical cycles as well as on 
populations of marine organisms and their trophodynamic interactions.
    Research may focus on experimental/observational studies and/or 
predictive modeling. Integrative studies that couple experimental 
observations and numerical modeling approaches are encouraged. Such 
studies should develop, improve, and test models that can be used to 
simulate and predict quantities of carbon sequestered from iron 
fertilization. Relevant focus areas for enhancement of the biological 
pump through iron fertilization may include:
    1. Improving the effectiveness of ocean fertilization as a strategy 
for long term (decades, centuries) carbon sequestration.
    [sbull] Determining to what extent increased carbon fixation in 
surface waters would result in an increase in carbon sequestered in the 
deep ocean, and how long it would remain sequestered. This includes 
quantifying the export of particulate organic carbon and particulate 
inorganic carbon to the deep sea, and mineralization or dissolution of 
all forms at depth.
    [sbull] Understanding the role of micronutrients (such as iron) and 
macronutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) in regulation of the 
biological pump. Research on coupling of iron and carbon cycles might 
include studies of photo-oxidation, complexation adsorption/desorption, 
export and mineralization.
    [sbull] Developing numerical models (regional or global) for carbon 
sequestration, especially those that provide a measurable output that 
allows for model testing. Models might be used to predict the 
efficiency of sequestration as a function of mid and deep water 
transport of carbon and remineralization.
    2. Determining environmental consequences of long term ocean 
fertilization.
    [sbull] Examining changes in structure and functioning of marine 
ecosystems (composition of phytoplankton and zooplankton communities, 
ocean food webs and trophodynamics), resulting from ocean 
fertilization.
    [sbull] Examining changes in natural oceanic biogeochemical cycles 
(carbon,

[[Page 72659]]

nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon) resulting from iron fertilization.
    [sbull] Developing numerical models at an ecosystem level that 
predict downstream effects of fertilization on productivity and 
nutrient removal.
    Research proposed on iron fertilization should also support the 
USGCRP Carbon Cycle Science Initiative (http://www.gcrio.org/OnLnDoc/pdf/carb_cycle_toc.html). In particular, the proposed research should 
provide the scientific foundation for assessing both the viability of 
using iron fertilization to enhance sequestration and storage of carbon 
dioxide and/or the potential for unintended effects of this carbon 
sequestration strategy.

Direct Injection

    The overarching questions for this area of research are: Can direct 
CO2 injection effectively sequester CO2 in the 
ocean with minimal adverse environmental impacts? How and where might 
direct injection of CO2 be most effective as a carbon 
sequestration strategy? What are the plume dynamics and hydrate 
behavior at depth? Fundamental research is needed to: assess the 
efficiency and consequences of direct injection; calculate the maximum 
ability of the ocean to sequester a maximum tolerable level of 
CO2, while minimizing the impact on marine ecosystems. 
Current scientific literature on the physiology of deep sea animals 
suggests a high sensitivity of deep sea animals to acidosis and 
hypercapnia (CO2 stress), however, there are few data on 
impacts of specific levels of CO2 on animals from various 
marine habitats. Moreover, there are virtually no data on the potential 
effects of CO2 on microbially-mediated biogeochemical 
transformations of nutrients in the deep sea. Models are needed that 
provide information on the fate of injected CO2, 
particularly in the 100m to 100km range, from the point of injection. 
The ultimate goal is to be able to develop a coupled model that can 
predict the fate of injected CO2 and its chemical, physical 
and biological effects on marine ecosystems.
    Research may focus on experimental/observational studies and/or 
predictive modeling. Integrative studies that couple both experimental 
and numerical modeling are encouraged, especially those incorporate 
feedback between experiments and models. Such projects should involve 
experimental studies to test and improve models, and modeling studies 
to help identify and design experiments needed to fill key gaps in our 
understanding. Examples of relevant research areas for direct injection 
of carbon dioxide into the deep ocean include:
    1. Determining the environmental consequences of direct injection 
of CO2 into the ocean in midwater or deep sea habitats.
    [sbull] Determining the effects of changes in pH and CO2 
on the physiology and survival of organisms (including microbes) from 
midwater and deep sea habitats. These studies might include lethal or 
sublethal effects on organisms.
    [sbull] Understanding the effects of sustained release of 
concentrated CO2 on biogeochemical processes, and on 
ecosystem structure and function. This might include investigations of 
biogeochemical interactions of seafloor sediments with a hydrated 
CO2 plume.
    [sbull] Effects of secondary of contaminants on plume and/or 
hydrate physical/chemical properties, and related effects on indigenous 
fauna.
    2. Improving the effectiveness of direct injection of 
CO2 for carbon sequestration.
    [sbull] Understanding the longer-term fate of carbon that is added 
to the ocean including the carbonate chemistry of mid- and deep-ocean 
water.
    [sbull] Investigation of physico-chemical behavior of a dense phase 
hydrate stream. Research might focus on such characteristics as 
determination of hydrate dissolution rates for a concentrated swarm, 
and calculation of plume dispersion and perturbation to state variables 
at depth.
    [sbull] Addressing weaknesses in aspects of the Ocean General 
Circulation Models (OGCMs), specifically their ability to simulate 
accurately western boundary currents, ocean bottom currents, plume to 
eddy circulation; and testing models using natural or experimental 
tracers.
    [sbull] Coupling near-field with far-field effects of 
CO2 injection, for example, coupling plume modeling at the 
basin and global scale with ocean circulation models.

Collaboration

    Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with researchers in other 
institutions, such as: universities, industry, non-profit 
organizations, federal laboratories and Federally Funded Research and 
Development Centers (FFRDCs), including the DOE National Laboratories, 
where appropriate, and to include cost sharing and/or consortia 
wherever feasible. Additional information on collaboration is available 
in the Application Guide for the Office of Science Financial Assistance 
Program that is available via the Internet at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/Colab.html.

Program Funding

    It is anticipated that up to $1,500,000 (per year) will be 
available for awards in this area during Fiscal Year 2003, contingent 
upon availability of appropriated funds. An additional $1,000,000 will 
be available for competition by DOE National Laboratories under a 
separate solicitation (LAB 03-15). Projects involving single 
investigators or small groups of investigators may be funded at a level 
up to $300,000 per year for up to 3 years. Integrative studies, multi-
investigator studies that combine experimental/observational approaches 
with numerical modeling may be funded at a level of up to $400,000 per 
year for 3 years. Applications for field experiments involving larger 
groups of investigators will be considered, but must be approved at a 
preapplication level. Multiple year funding of awards is expected, and 
is also contingent upon availability of funds, progress of the 
research, and continuing program need.

Preapplications

    An informal preapplication may be submitted by E-mail. The 
preapplication should identify the institution, Principal Investigator 
name, address, telephone, fax and E-mail address, title of the project, 
and proposed collaborators. The preapplication should consist of a one 
to two page narrative describing the research project objectives and 
methods of accomplishment. These will be reviewed relative to the scope 
and research needs of the Ocean Carbon Sequestration Research Program. 
Preapplications are strongly encouraged prior to submission of a full 
application, especially for large, field-based collaborations. 
Notification of a successful preapplication is not an indication that 
an award will be made in response to the formal application.

Formal Applications

    Applications will be subjected to scientific merit review (peer 
review) and will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria 
listed in descending order of importance as codified at 10 CFR 
605.10(d):

1. Scientific and/or Technical Merit of the Project;
2. Appropriateness of the Proposed Method or Approach;
3. Competency of Applicant's Personnel and Adequacy of Proposed 
Resources;
4. Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget.

    For renewals, progress on previous DOE-funded research will be an 
important criterion for evaluation. The evaluation will include program 
policy

[[Page 72660]]

factors such as the relevance of the proposed research to the terms of 
the announcement, the agency's programmatic needs, and the uniqueness 
of approach. Note, external peer reviewers are selected with regard to 
both their scientific expertise and the absence of conflict-of-interest 
issues. Both non-federal and federal reviewers may be used, and 
submission of an application constitutes agreement that this is 
acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting institution.
    Information about the development and submission of applications, 
eligibility, limitations, evaluation, selection process, and other 
policies and procedures may be found in 10 CFR part 605, and in the 
Application Guide for the Office of Science Financial Assistance 
Program. Electronic access to the Guide and required forms is made 
available via the World Wide Web at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html. DOE is under no obligation to pay for any costs 
associated with the preparation or submission of applications if an 
award is not made.
    The research project description must be 20 pages or less, 
exclusive of attachments and must contain an abstract or summary of the 
proposed research. Applicants who have had prior Ocean Carbon 
Sequestration Research Program support must include a Progress Section 
with a brief description of results and a list of publications derived 
from that funding. On the SC grant face page, form DOE F 4650.2, in 
block 15, also provide the PI's phone number, fax number and E-mail 
address. Attachments include curriculum vitae, a listing of all current 
and pending federal support, and letters of intent when collaborations 
are part of the proposed research. Curriculum vitae should be submitted 
in a form similar to that of NIH or NSF (two to three pages).


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 December 2, 2002.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director of Science for Resource Management.
[FR Doc. 02-30919 Filed 12-5-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P