Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00529
The grant opportunity titled "Research and Development to Support the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) - Enhancing the Quality and Scope of Aerosol Data Collection" is a National Park Service (Department of the Interior) cooperative agreement focused on strengthening how aerosol pollution is measured and interpreted in protected areas. The IMPROVE network is widely used to track visibility and fine particle pollution that affects national parks and other scenic environments, and the central goal here is to ensure that the data are reliable enough to support long-term trend analyses and air quality management decisions. Because policy decisions often depend on whether measured changes are real atmospheric shifts or artifacts introduced by changing instruments, laboratory methods, site practices, or data handling, the work emphasizes both scientific rigor and practical network operations.
A major portion of the effort is dedicated to enhanced data quality assurance with an explicit emphasis on long-term trends. The work is aimed at making it easier to visualize and characterize data quality over time and to interpret trends with a clear understanding of what is driving them. That includes quantifying uncertainty and detection limits, which is critical when concentrations are near the lower bounds of what instruments can reliably measure. It also includes examining relationships among different measurements (for example, how chemical species co-vary, how sampling artifacts might influence multiple components, or how method shifts can create step changes). The opportunity highlights the development of improved tools to monitor data quality in near-real time or at least quickly enough to flag emerging measurement problems before they propagate through long datasets. In practical terms, this means better diagnostics, better performance indicators, and better methods for identifying when a site, sampler, laboratory batch, or analytical procedure is drifting out of specification.
Another core focus is analytical method development, specifically chemical speciation methods used to determine what aerosols are made of. IMPROVE-style monitoring relies on speciated particulate matter data (for example, elemental carbon, organic carbon, sulfate, nitrate, soil-related elements, trace metals) to explain sources and processes and to link changes in visibility to emission trends. The grant supports improving existing methods or developing new ones to keep pace with evolving technology and scientific understanding. These improvements are framed as a way to maintain or enhance data quality, expand the amount of useful information extracted from each collected sample, and potentially reduce costs. The underlying idea is that better and more efficient lab methods can increase confidence in the dataset while also enabling new scientific questions to be answered from the same physical filters and samples.
The opportunity also supports sampling method improvements. As field technology changes and the IMPROVE and Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) gain operational experience, there is ongoing interest in refining how samples are collected, handled, and stored. The grant anticipates evaluating new or modified sampling approaches for possible adoption in one or both networks. Testing and evaluation would occur both in controlled research settings at the University of California, Davis and, as appropriate, at actual IMPROVE and/or CSN monitoring sites. This combination is meant to ensure that proposed innovations are not only scientifically sound in the lab, but also robust in real-world conditions where weather, site logistics, operator variability, and long deployment periods can expose weaknesses that short trials might miss.
Outreach and communication is treated as a required operational pillar rather than an afterthought. The monitoring networks depend on participation from the National Park Service and other partner units, along with site operators who conduct day-to-day sampling and basic checks. The grant describes a continuing effort to keep these participants informed through sharing analytical results with operators and other stakeholders, creating training materials for site operators and data validators, and generally strengthening the feedback loop between the central analytical teams and the field. Beyond internal network communication, the results are intended to be shared with the broader scientific community through workshops, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed publications, reinforcing that this work is both applied (supporting regulatory and management needs) and research-driven (advancing methods and interpretation).
Administratively, this was issued as a discretionary funding opportunity (CFDA 15.945) using a cooperative agreement mechanism under the National Park Service. The funding opportunity number is P18AS00529, with an award ceiling of $812,958 and an expectation of one award. It was posted in August 2018 as a notice of intent to partner with the University of California, Davis through the California Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, and it explicitly states that no open applications would be accepted. In other words, it functioned as a planned partnership action to support specialized research and network-support activities rather than a competitive grant open to the general applicant pool.Apply for P18AS00529
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research and Development to Support the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) - Enhancing the Quality and Scope of Aerosol Data Collection" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 15, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Notice of intent to partner with University of CA, Davis under the California Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. No applications will be accepted.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $812,958.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Research and Development to Support the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) - Enhancing the Quality and Scope of Aerosol Data Collection."
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
This is a National Park Service (NPS) opportunity within the U.S. Department of the Interior.
What type of funding mechanism is being used?
The opportunity uses a cooperative agreement mechanism.
Is this a competitive, open-application grant?
No. The notice states that no open applications would be accepted. It was posted as a notice of intent to partner, meaning it functioned as a planned partnership action rather than a general competition.
Who was the intended partner for this cooperative agreement?
The notice indicates an intent to partner with the University of California, Davis through the California Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is P18AS00529.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The opportunity references CFDA 15.945.
When was this opportunity posted?
It was posted in August 2018.
How much funding is available?
The award ceiling is $812,958.
How many awards were expected?
The opportunity describes an expectation of one award.
What is the IMPROVE network, and why does it matter?
IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments) is a monitoring network widely used to track visibility and fine particle (aerosol) pollution that affects national parks and other scenic protected environments. Its data support long-term trend analyses and air quality management decisions.
What is the central goal of the project described in this opportunity?
The central goal is to strengthen how aerosol pollution is measured and interpreted in protected areas, with a focus on ensuring the data are reliable enough for long-term trend analysis and for informing air quality management and policy decisions.
Why is long-term data reliability emphasized so strongly?
The opportunity highlights that policy and management decisions can hinge on whether observed changes reflect real atmospheric shifts or are artifacts caused by changes in instruments, laboratory methods, site practices, or data handling. The work therefore emphasizes scientific rigor and practical network operations to protect the integrity of long-term records.
What role does data quality assurance play in the project?
Enhanced data quality assurance is described as a major portion of the effort, with an explicit emphasis on long-term trends. The work aims to make it easier to visualize and characterize data quality over time and interpret trends with a clear understanding of what is driving them.
What kinds of data quality topics are specifically called out?
The description calls out quantifying uncertainty and detection limits (especially important near the lower bounds of measurement capability), evaluating relationships among different measurements (including co-variation among chemical species), identifying sampling artifacts that can influence multiple components, and recognizing method shifts that can create step changes in long datasets.
What does the opportunity mean by improving tools for near-real-time data quality monitoring?
It refers to developing improved diagnostics, performance indicators, and methods that can flag emerging measurement problems quickly (near-real time or at least fast enough) so issues do not propagate through long-term datasets before they are detected.
What kinds of operational issues is the work intended to detect?
The opportunity mentions identifying when a site, sampler, laboratory batch, or analytical procedure is drifting out of specification, so corrective action can occur sooner and the integrity of the long-term record is maintained.
Does this opportunity include analytical (laboratory) method development?
Yes. Analytical method development is a core focus, particularly for chemical speciation methods used to determine what aerosols are made of.
What is meant by "chemical speciation" in this context?
Chemical speciation refers to measuring the composition of particulate matter to determine what components are present. The opportunity gives examples such as elemental carbon, organic carbon, sulfate, nitrate, soil-related elements, and trace metals.
Why are speciated particulate data important for protected visual environments?
The opportunity explains that speciated data help explain sources and processes and help link changes in visibility to emission trends, improving the ability to interpret what is driving air quality and visibility outcomes.
What kinds of improvements are expected from better analytical methods?
Improvements are framed as ways to maintain or enhance data quality, expand the amount of useful information extracted from each collected sample, and potentially reduce costs, while keeping pace with evolving technology and scientific understanding.
Does the opportunity address sampling (field) method improvements too?
Yes. It supports improvements to sampling methods, including refining how samples are collected, handled, and stored as field technology changes and as operational experience accumulates in IMPROVE and the Chemical Speciation Network (CSN).
Which monitoring networks are referenced besides IMPROVE?
The opportunity references both the IMPROVE network and the Chemical Speciation Network (CSN), and anticipates that evaluated approaches could be adopted in one or both networks.
Where would sampling method testing and evaluation take place?
Testing and evaluation would occur in controlled research settings at the University of California, Davis and, as appropriate, at actual IMPROVE and/or CSN monitoring sites.
Why does the opportunity emphasize both laboratory testing and real-world site testing?
The description notes that this combination helps ensure innovations are scientifically sound and also robust under real-world conditions such as weather, site logistics, operator variability, and long deployment periods, which can reveal weaknesses that short or purely controlled trials might miss.
Is outreach and communication part of the required work?
Yes. Outreach and communication are treated as a required operational pillar, supporting effective participation by network partners and site operators.
Who are the key audiences for outreach and communication under this opportunity?
The opportunity highlights the National Park Service and other partner units, site operators conducting day-to-day sampling and checks, data validators, and the broader scientific community.
What outreach activities are specifically mentioned?
Examples include sharing analytical results with operators and stakeholders, creating training materials for site operators and data validators, strengthening feedback loops between central analytical teams and the field, and sharing results externally through workshops, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed publications.
How is this work positioned: operational support, research, or both?
It is described as both applied and research-driven: applied in that it supports regulatory and management needs, and research-driven in that it advances methods and interpretation and is shared through scientific channels.
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