INTRODUCTION

The NOAA Coastal Ocean Program announces an opportunity for ecosystem dynamics studies on the southeast Bering Sea shelf. This new effort will be managed by the University of Alaska, NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center, and NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Federal assistance will be available through the local Sea Grant colleges. This announcement solicits proposals for modeling, monitoring, and retrospective data analysis beginning in June 1996 and for process studies commencing in October 1996. Further information is described below and in the Concept Paper and Workshop Document, which are described in the following proposal submission section. The deadline for proposals is 12 April 1996. Contingent on the availability of funds and facilities, final decisions on awards should be made by 1 June 1996.

DESCRIPTION

A. Background
The overall Bering Sea ecosystem is among the most productive of high-latitude seas and supports large populations of marine fish, birds and mammals. This productivity is important to the U.S. economy in that fish and shellfish from the region constitute almost 5% of the world and 40% of the U.S. fisheries harvest. Pollock, salmon, halibut, and crab generate over 2 billion dollars each year in fisheries revenue and provide a major source of protein. Presently, most Bering Sea fisheries are not overexploited, although there have been major changes in abundance over the last thirty years. However, populations of several species, such as king crab and Greenland turbot are near historical lows. We do not understand the stability of the present state of the Bering Sea ecosystem. The overwhelming dominance of walleye pollock in the Bering Sea suggests that this species currently plays a singularly important role in this ecosystem. Pollock constitutes over 67% of the eastern Bering Sea groundfish biomass. The outer continental shelf and slope are the most productive areas. The Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity (SEBSCC) project plans to focus research on the southeast Bering Sea shelf ecosystem with an emphasis on the role of juvenile pollock.

Quantifying the relative importance of natural variations and human exploitation in explaining upper trophic level ecosystem changes is a key management issue for the Bering Sea. Differentiating trends in stock abundance attributable to exploitation from trends due to natural variations is difficult because the fisheries and environmental time series are often short or incomplete, are seldom stable, and can be subject to regional variation. Natural variations include lower trophic level shifts in the production of new organic matter and its vertical distribution. These lower trophic level shifts can be attributed to changes in the physical environment. Bio physical models that account for the vertical integration of lower and higher trophic level dynamics of the Bering Sea are required to improve our understanding of the natural processes that sustain productivity at higher trophic levels.

Our conceptual model proposes that the juvenile (age 0-age 1) pollock population represents a nodal element of the Bering Sea ecosystem. By nodal element, we imply that a large fraction of the ecosystem energy passes through this population. Juvenile pollock respond to and potentially impact primary and secondary production through grazing, and influence the availability of food for upper trophic level species, including adult pollock, seabirds and marine mammals. Pollock provide an important measure of the condition of the present ecosystem, and may be an indicator of changes in the Bering Sea over the last three decades and in the future. The SEBSCC program is designed to improve our understanding of the Bering Sea ecosystem; the results of this endeavor will directly assist fishery and resource managers.

B. Goal
The goal of SEBSCC is to increase understanding of the southeastern Bering Sea pelagic ecosystem. Juvenile pollock will be considered as a component. New information will be used to develop and test annual indices of pre-recruit (age-1) pollock abundance, which will support management of pollock stocks and help determine the food availability to other species.

C. Central Scientific Issues
1. How does climate variability influence the Bering Sea ecosystem? Is there historical evidence for a biophysical regime shift on the Bering Sea shelf? How is this reflected in ecological relationships and species mix? Are there "top-down" ecosystem effects associated with climate variations as well as "bottom-up" effects?
2. What limits population growth on the Bering Sea shelf? Is there evidence of a single species carrying capacity, e.g. for pollock, or a more complex structure? What is the ecological role of pollock on the Bering Sea shelf, i.e. how are pollock, forage fish, and apex species linked through energetics and life history? How important is cannibalism?
3. How do oceanographic conditions on the shelf influence biological distributions? How do the separate mixing domains, sea ice, and the cold pool influence the overlap or separation between predators and prey?
4. What influences primary and secondary production regimes? What are the sources of nutrients to the southeastern Bering Sea shelf, and what processes affect their availability? Is the variability in sea ice extent and timing the primary factor influencing productivity? What determines the relative allocation of organic carbon going to benthos versus that remaining in the pelagic system? What are the lower trophic level structure and energetics on the shelf in summer and winter, especially regarding euphausiids? What is the role of gelatinous organisms?

D. The Structure of the Research Program
The Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity research project comprises four major components: broad-scale field survey and monitoring; process-oriented field studies; modeling investigations; and retrospective analyses. Research will follow this four-pronged approach.

Monitoring. Broad-scale studies include shipboard surveys, multi-disciplinary moorings, and analysis of satellite data. Shipboard studies help to determine the distribution and abundance of target organisms in relation to their physical environment. In addition, there is a need for long term mooring-based observations and interpretation of regional satellite data. Further discussion of possible monitoring surveys are discussed in the Concept Paper. The fundamental objective of the broad-scale studies is to provide the basis for interannual comparison of the population processes and their coupling to the physical structure and variability of the environment.

Retrospective Analyses. Retrospective studies use historical data bases to investigate the biological and physical consequences of the different domains and of climatic variation. Retrospective studies would normally include development of semi-quantitative conceptual models.

Process Studies. Process studies are nested within the broad-scale observations to investigate specific biological and physical processes. Close cooperation and interaction between the monitoring and modeling components of the program is essential.

Modeling. Modeling investigators are expected to participate in the formulation and interpretation of the field studies, and provide the context for integration of results. Modeling studies can focus on the development of 3-D models of the stratification and flow fields, and linkages to the population dynamics of target species. In addition to site-specific modeling, there is a vital need for modeling which emphasizes trophic level interaction. Thus, proposals for modeling studies that develop coupled energetics, life history, and age structured models with simplified spatial dependence are strongly encouraged. Further, modeling efforts that incorporate details of realistic biological/physical interaction and that allow for data assimilation are encouraged.

E. Resources
Funding is contingent upon receipt of fiscal year 1996 federal appropriations. The program is to be funded at $500K in fiscal year 1996 and at $1.0M per year for the following five years. In 1997 and 1998 we anticipate one month of ship time in the winter/spring and one month in the summer. Joint work with other research institutions on their vessels and with AFSC bioacoustics cruises, pending approval of AFSC staff, are also a possibility. We recognize that resources are limited. We therefore encourage potential investigators to consider leveraging their proposals with support from other sources, although this is not a requirement. Proposal selection will be based on scientific merit and programmatic balance. Investigators interested in the Bering Sea may also consider becoming a no-cost collaborator, in which ship time and modest travel support would be available.

PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

This opportunity is open to all interested, qualified, non-federal and federal researchers. This announcement, additional background information, and further announcements are available through a Southeast Bering Sea Theme Page on the World Wide Web at URL=http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/bering/, maintained by PMEL. The theme page may also be reached by a link from the FOCI Home Page referenced by PMEL's Home Page at URL=http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/. The Southeast Bering Sea Theme Page supports multiple interests based on the physical, chemical, biological and fisheries oceanography of this unique geographic area. The theme page contains a link to the SEBSCC Home Page. The SEBSCC Home Page contains the Concept Paper that proposed the study to NOAA Coastal Ocean Program. The proceedings of a SE Bering Sea Workshop held November 1995 is also available from this site. If you are unable to access this information, either call or send an e-mail message to Allen Macklin (206-526-6798; allen.macklin@noaa.gov).

Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement of Opportunity should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the guidelines provided below and in the SEBSCC Home Page. Copies are also available from the Coastal and Arctic Research Division, phone (206) 526-6798. Proposals should cover FY 1996, FY 1997, and FY 1998. Process studies should cover FY 1997 and FY 1998. There will be a second Announcement of Availability of Funds for FY 1999-2001. Proposals will be subjected to initial screening for the relevance to the Coastal Ocean Program and will be returned without review or advance notification if deficiencies are found. Successful PIs may be asked to make minor revisions in their proposals to fit into an overall program structure.

Prospective investigators are strongly encouraged to include a discussion of how their proposed programs may lend added value to the program goal. Prospective investigators should provide a full scientific justification for the research and not simply reiterate justifications laid out in this Announcement, the Concept Paper, or the Workshop Summary. In addition, it would be helpful if a statement is included as to how your proposed efforts are related to efforts of other potential investigators; interdisciplinary and multi-trophic level coordination are particularly encouraged. Because of a six-page limitation for the project description, individual proposals with overly complex structure and large numbers of investigators are, however, discouraged. Applicants should also submit a statement justifying how their proposed research is timely and not redundant. Proposals should be written to allow adequate review of the details of such things as goals and objectives, conceptual framework, methodological approaches, integration with other likely projects and synthesis.

All funded participants of the SEBSCC project are required to abide by the SEBSCC data policy and the policies applying to recipients of federal funding in ocean sciences. The data policy is contained in the Concept Paper and is posted on the Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity home page.

The proposal review process for the SEBSCC project will be coordinated by the Project Management Team and the Coastal Ocean Program Office. Independent proposal reviews will be provided by members of the Technical Advisory Committee and other designated topical reviewers; these reviews will provide the basis for proposal selection.

The awardee is wholly responsible for the conduct of research and preparation of the results for publication. SEBSCC welcomes proposals on behalf of all qualified scientists and engineers, and strongly encourage women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in any of the research and research-related programs described in this document. In accordance with Federal statutes and regulations, and NOAA policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from NOAA.

Use the following instructions when preparing your proposal. If you have questions or require further information, contact Allen Macklin, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, (206) 526-6798, or Mike Dowgiallo, NOAA Coastal Ocean Program, (301) 713-3338. Proposals must be received by 12 April 1996 and must adhere to the following format; proposals received after the deadline or proposals that deviate from the prescribed format will be returned to the sender un-reviewed.

Non-federal researchers are to submit the original and one copy of their proposals to their local Sea Grant office and one copy to Allen Macklin, NOAA, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-0070. Federal assistance awards to non-federal researchers will be made through the Sea Grant colleges. Contact Mike Dowgiallo or Allen Macklin if you are unsure of your local Sea Grant office or college.

Non-federal researchers affiliated with NOAA-university Joint Institutes should submit the original and two copies of their proposals to Allen Macklin, NOAA, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-0070. Proposals deemed acceptable from Joint Institute researchers will be funded through the Joint Institutes.

Federal government researchers should submit the original and two copies of their proposals to Allen Macklin, NOAA, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-0070. Proposals deemed acceptable from federal researchers will be funded through interagency agreements.

A. Sections of the Proposal
1. Cover page
Provide a title, a short title (¾50 characters) if needed, principal investigator(s) name(s) and affiliation(s), complete address, phone and E-mail information, and a budget summary broken out by year.
2. Half-page abstract
State the hypothesis to be tested, the relationship of the research to the program goal, and a summary of the key approach.
3. Project description limited to six pages and four figures.
Supply a clear statement of the work to be undertaken. Outline the broad design of activities, provide an adequate description of methods, and confirm adherence to the data policy statement as listed on the web site. Include: i. the objective for the period of proposed work and its expected significance, ii. the relation to the present state of knowledge in the field and relation to previous work and work in progress by the proposing principal investigator(s), and iii. a discussion of how the proposed project lends value to the program goal. Provide a full scientific justification for the research; do not simply reiterate justifications laid out in this Availability of Funds document, the Concept Paper, and the Workshop Summary.
4. Milestone chart covering October 1996 (July 1996 for fiscal year 1996 starts) to September 1998.
5. Budget
Present the budget in fiscal year increments (October-September 1996, 1997, 1998). Include the following categories: salary and wages, fringe benefits, equipment, travel, materials and supplies (expendables), publication costs, computer services, subawards, total cost of this proposal, and cost sharing with other programs.
6. Biographical sketch
Focus on information directly relevant to undertaking the proposed research. Use no more than two pages.

B. Proposal format and assembly
Staple the proposal in the upper left-hand corner, but otherwise leave it unbound. Use 1 inch (2.5 cm) margins at the top, bottom, left and right of each page. Use a clear and easily legible type face in standard size of 10 or 12 points. Print on one side of the page only.