FY 2018 Remote Sensing for Snowpack and Soil Moisture | NOAA OAR OWAQ 2018 2005521

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR OWAQ 2018 2005521

The FY 2018 Remote Sensing for Snowpack and Soil Moisture opportunity is a NOAA research and development grant aimed at improving how remotely sensed snowpack and soil moisture information is used in operational water prediction. Issued by the Department of Commerce through NOAA's Office of Atmospheric Research (OAR), specifically the Office of Weather and Air Quality (OWAQ), it focuses on work that can directly strengthen the National Water Model (NWM) and support the mission needs of NOAA's National Water Center over a relatively near-term window of about 1 to 2 years. In practice, the opportunity is looking for applied R&D that moves beyond basic studies and has a clear path to improving model performance or operational decision support through better use of remote sensing data.

The core technical emphasis is on two hydrologic variables that strongly influence water availability and flood risk: snowpack, particularly snow water equivalent (SWE), and soil moisture. Snowpack governs how much water is stored in the landscape during winter and how that storage turns into runoff during melt periods, while soil moisture affects infiltration, runoff generation, evapotranspiration, drought development, and flash flood susceptibility. Because these variables are difficult to observe comprehensively with ground networks alone, the opportunity prioritizes approaches that leverage remote sensing products, and then translate those products into measurable improvements in the NWM. A strong proposal under this announcement would typically make a convincing case that new data assimilation methods, bias correction, product blending, downscaling, uncertainty characterization, or evaluation frameworks will produce practical improvements in the model's hydrologic states and forecasts.

Administratively, the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which usually signals an expectation of meaningful involvement and coordination with NOAA staff during the project period. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, with an activity category centered on environment, natural resources, and science and technology R&D. The CFDA number listed is 11.459. The announcement was created on February 22, 2018, and the original application deadline was April 26, 2018, indicating it was a time-limited competition for that fiscal year.

In terms of scale, the maximum funding amount per award (award ceiling) is $400,000, and NOAA anticipated making up to 15 awards. That combination suggests NOAA was looking to fund multiple teams or approaches in parallel, likely to explore different sensors, regions, algorithms, or integration strategies, while keeping each project focused and deliverable within the 1 to 2 year timeframe. The eligible applicant category is listed as "Others," with further clarification referenced in an additional eligibility text field, which generally implies eligibility may extend beyond traditional federal or state agencies and could include universities, nonprofits, private entities, or other qualified organizations depending on the specific eligibility language in the full notice.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an applied remote sensing and hydrologic modeling initiative: bring in better observations of SWE and soil moisture from remote platforms, rigorously evaluate and refine those data products for hydrologic use, and demonstrate concrete improvements to the National Water Model that align with NOAA's operational water prediction priorities. The emphasis on direct contribution to the National Water Center mission and the short performance window underscores the practical, transition-to-operations mindset behind the solicitation.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2018 Remote Sensing for Snowpack and Soil Moisture" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.459.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 22, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 26, 2018. (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 $400,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR OWAQ 2018 2005521

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