Call for Planning Letters
Sea State and Boundary Layer Physics of the Emerging Arctic Ocean
Office of Naval Research Department Research Initiative
Planning letter deadline: Friday, 30 March 2012
For further information, please contact:
Martin Jeffries
Phone: 703-696-7825
Email: martin.jeffries [at] navy.mil
In response to the observed decline in arctic sea ice extent, the U.S.
Navy has a renewed interest in understanding and predicting the
environment in this region, including a desire to forecast the presence
or absence of sea ice at a variety of lead times. However, there remain
fundamental gaps in our knowledge of the physical environment and
processes; interactions and feedbacks that are critical to understanding
the seasonal evolution of sea ice and the effect of increasing open
water on the ice and on the atmosphere, at the arctic to hemispheric
scale. To address this issue, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Arctic
and Global Prediction Program will support a 5-year Department Research
Initiative (DRI) to better understand the sea state and boundary layer
physics of the emerging Arctic Ocean, particularly in the Beaufort and
Chukchi seas.
The goals of the DRI are:
1. Develop a sea state climatology, identify factors affecting the
spatial and temporal variability of sea state, and improve
forecasting of waves on the open ocean and in the marginal ice zone;
2. Develop a climatology of and improve theory of wave
attenuation/scattering in the sea ice cover;
3. Use wave scattering theory directly in integrated arctic system
models, and indirectly to define an ice rheology for use in arctic
system models; and
4. Understand the physics of heat and mass transfer from the ocean
to the atmosphere, and the seasonal variability of fluxes during
summer ice retreat and autumn ice advance.
The DRI is expected to run for five years, from FY13 to FY17. Years 1
and 2 will focus on science and experiment planning, science team
building, developing interagency and international collaboration, and
equipment development and testing. The major field effort will occur in
Year 3 (FY15), followed by two years of data analysis and synthesis of
results. The overall effort will require integration of theory, in situ
and remote sensing observations, and modeling to accelerate discovery
and understanding. The DRI is an ONR contribution to SEARCH, the Federal
interagency Study of Environmental Arctic Change
(http://www.arcus.org/search/index.php).
Request for Planning Letters
The first step in the DRI process is for prospective investigators to
prepare planning letters. The purpose of planning letters is to allow
investigators to submit their ideas in confidence for ONR to evaluate,
provide technical feedback, and indicate whether investigators will be
encouraged to submit full proposals. ONR will respond to planning
letters by 30 April 2012 to allow eight weeks for full proposal
preparation and submission no later than 22 June 2012. It is anticipated
that awards will be made with funds available in October 2012.
All planning letters should be submitted by email, preferably in PDF
format, no later than Friday, 30 March 2012 to Martin Jeffries
(martin.jeffries [at] navy.mil).
Planning Letter Content
Planning letters should include:
- Contact information for the principal and co-investigators,
including full mailing address, email address and phone number for
each.
- A maximum three-page synopsis of the proposed research, including
a rationale, questions and/or hypotheses to be addressed, the
methods to be used, and anticipated results. Think of this as the
Executive Summary of a full proposal. A description of the role of
each investigator should also be included in the three pages.
- Investigators should focus on what is new, groundbreaking, or
potentially transformative about the proposed research and not worry
about justifying the relevance to the Navy.
- No more than one page describing the estimated budget, with
approximate cost per year up to a maximum of five years. Any major
equipment procurements or unusual costs (e.g., ship, aircraft,
computer) should be identified.
- Up to one page of relevant references to the literature.
- A one-page biographical sketch for each investigator, with a focus
on research activities and publications relevant to the proposed
research.
Each individual investigator or team of investigators need not propose
all components of the DRI. Investigators are encouraged not to assemble
large, multi-investigator teams at this stage. Team building will occur
after selection and successful investigators will be expected to work
productively and constructively in an interdisciplinary team
environment.
Planning letter deadline: Friday, 30 March 2012.
For further information, please contact:
Martin Jeffries
Phone: 703-696-7825
Email: martin.jeffries [at] navy.mil