Long-Term Monitoring
program for retrospective data
Through its long-term monitoring program, NPRB specifically supports projects that aim to understand ecosystem variability and the effect of this variability on subsistence and/or commercial marine resources. In 2014, NPRB funded three long-term monitoring projects that will collect data over a five-year period.
Explore the Science
NPRB has funded three different Long-term Monitoring projects since 2014. These projects have spanned each of the marine ecosystems of Alaska, from the northern waters of the Chukchi Sea to the Gulf of Alaska. Explore these programs here.
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PROGRAM DETAILS
In 2013, NPRB adopted the funding strategy to include long-term monitoring projects as a formalized program. Long-term monitoring projects make data publicly available in near-real time or within six months of collection. Learn more about NPRB’s Long-term Monitoring Program here.
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program REQUIREMENTS
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL APPLICANTS AND FUNDED AWARDEES. NPRB follows federal and financial reporting guidelines in compliance with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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Retrospective study design
Since the program began funding proposals in 2013, three projects have been successfully funded for two consecutive five-year terms. These projects span each of the three major marine ecosystems off Alaska and provide important oceanographic and lower-trophic level data. These data help establish baseline information about these ecosystems and aid in the understanding of ecosystem variability as it effects all species that depend on these waters.
The North Pacific Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey
The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey is a ship-of-opportunity monitoring program that uses commercial vessels to collect samples of phytoplankton and zooplankton, as well as information about some aspects of the physical environment, along their regular routes of passage on a seasonal basis. Phytoplankton and zooplankton respond rapidly to changes in their environment and monitoring them provides information about ecosystem impacts on their predators, including fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals that are ecologically, economically, and culturally significant.
Dr. Sonia Batten
Lead Principal Investigator
Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science
Lead Organization
Scope of Work
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CHUKCHI ECOSYSTEM OBSERVATORY
This project maintains a subsurface mooring array on the northeast Chukchi Sea shelf that operates year-round, providing information during seasons when sea ice inhibits ship-based sampling. The instruments capture information about the physical and chemical properties of the water column, nutrients and particulate matter, plankton, fish, and marine mammals. They provide important data on ocean acidification, nutrient and carbon cycles, wind, waves, and ice. These data are providing unprecedented insights into the mechanistic processes operating in the Chukchi shelf ecosystem and providing baseline datasets for climate studies and model validation.
Dr. Seth Danielson
Lead Principal Investigator
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Lead Organization
Scope of Work
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OCEANOGRAPHIC OBSERVATIONS ALONG THE SEWARD LINE
This project has been collecting data for over two decades in the northern Gulf of Alaska to better understand the response of the marine ecosystem to
environmental variability on seasonal and interannual timescales. The project conducts coordinated multi-disciplinary research expeditions to monitor ocean physics, chemistry, phytoplankton, microzooplankton, meta-zooplankton, seabird and marine mammal communities during spring, summer, and fall and employs moored instruments to gather a more limited suite of measurements year-round. Investment by the National Science Foundation has established this project as a Long-Term Ecological Research site.
Dr. Russell Hopcroft
Lead Principal Investigator
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Lead Organization
Scope of Work
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goals of retrospective data analysis
The overall goal of the NPRB Long-term Monitoring (LTM) Program is to support new or existing time-series research that enhances scientists’ and policy-makers’ ability to understand the current state of the marine ecosystem. Through the LTM program, the board will support efforts that attempt to predict ecosystem responses to changing ocean conditions.
What is Long-Term Monitoring?
For the purpose of NPRB, long-term monitoring projects are defined as those that aid in understanding ecosystem variability and the effect of this variability on subsistence and/or commercial marine resources. In order to understand these processes, projects will need to address appropriate temporal and spatial scales, be interdisciplinary, involve multiple trophic levels, and have links to subsistence and/or commercial marine resources.
Retrospective studies program History
The North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) has funded long-term monitoring (LTM) projects since 2002 through its annual Request for Proposals (RFPs) and as part of its Integrated Ecosystem Research Program with projects in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. The duration of these projects has varied between four months and four years; funding levels ranged from $30,000 to $730,000. Past NPRB-funded LTM projects spanned the ecosystem from physics, chemistry, and plankton to seabirds, whales, and subsistence. Without a formal initiative, the funding of these projects was largely in response to submitted proposals and based on a general desire to continue collecting valuable time series when other organizations reprioritized their funding allocations.
After ten years of funding process, modeling, retrospective, and monitoring programs, NPRB has decided to formalize its contribution to long-term monitoring in marine waters surrounding Alaska by creating this new LTM program. Therefore, LTM projects will no longer be accepted as part of the regular annual RFP process.
The NPRB Science Plan (2005) states that the greatest contribution from NPRB-funded research might come from well-designed, high-quality monitoring projects which focus on collection of physical, chemical, biological, and/or socio-economic aspects of the ecosystem and develop indices of ecosystem status from the ensuing time series. Careful monitoring of linkages at key nodes in the food web can serve as sentinels for larger system-wide changes due to climate change or other environmental perturbations; such monitoring also facilitates the development of indices that may be used to synthesize and interpret the observations in terms of potential changes in ecosystem structure and function.
The National Research Council (NRC) report (2004) that guided the development of the NPRB Science Plan highlighted that the establishment of time series is a serious commitment; the report recommended that NPRB should determine 1) the objectives and hypotheses that will govern data collection, 2) the criteria to be used in establishing and maintaining the time series, and 3) the locations that will best serve the overall goals of NPRB. Additionally, it noted that NPRB should establish a policy for periodic review of the time series.
Long-term Monitoring Program
Requirements
NPRB has streamlined our reporting mechanisms to allow our PIs to spend more of their valuable time on the research. This online system is a portal for submission of semi-annual reports, final report, project summary for the interested public, and metadata (described separately below).
The final 10% of funds for a completed project will not be released until these reporting requirements have been approved by NPRB.
Progress Reports
Progress reports are due July 31 (from January through June) and January 31 (from July through December) for the duration of the project. If a progress report due date falls within six months prior to the project end date, no progress report will be due. Progress reports should be submitted to progress.reports@nprb.org with the project number in the subject line (e.g., NPRB Project 1310 Progress Report Jan 2015). Projects funded in 2015 and later should use the Ocean Workspace for report submission.
FINAL REPORTS
Final reports are required for each long-term monitoring project, and must be submitted within 60 days after the project end date. These reports are the summation of each project's work, and provide a single, unified resource for learning about each project's results. NPRB may in its sole discretion choose to treat the final programmatic report as a draft final report, and to submit that draft to peer review.
Quarterly Financials
Quartely financial reporting is required for all long-term monitoring projects. Pre-populated financial forms, included in the "Release of Funds" notification, should be submitted to Kristin Thoresen, Grants Manager at the Alaska SeaLife Center (kristint@alaskasealife.org). Contact the program manager, Danielle Dickson, with general questions.
Financial
Reporting
NPRB funds are federal with a CFDA number of 11.472. Federal grant rules apply, including the Fly America Act. Projects are supported on a reimbursable basis, with invoices for expenditures due on a quarterly schedule. A financial report form, pre-populated from the accepted statement of work, is provided at the time of release of funds. Due dates for timely reimbursement are January 31st, April 30th, July 30th, and October 31st. Final invoices must be submitted within 60 days of the project end date and be clearly marked ‘Final’. Invoices will not be paid if programmatic reporting is delinquent. Failure to submit the final invoice within this period constitutes a complete waiver of all claims by the Subrecipient to any amounts not previously invoiced.
Contact Our Fiscal Agent
The Alaska SeaLife Center is the North Pacific Research Board's fiscal agent. Contact Tara Miller or (907) 224-6372 for all financial matters. Invoices should be submitted electronically, or by mail:
c/o Tara Miller
Alaska SeaLife Center
PO Box 1329
Seward, AK 99664
Budget Request Change
Reallocation of funds between or among the direct cost categories in the subawardee's NPRB Budget Summary Form in Appendix 1 must be approved in writing by NPRB prior to any such reallocated expenditure occurring, if that reallocation exceeds ten percent of the total subaward budget amount.
Projects with One Subaward Agreement
Reallocation of funds between direct cost categories requires approval only if the cumulative amount of budget reallocations is greater than 10% of the total budget amount. If you need to exceed this 10% threshold, you must request approval from NPRB. You can reallocate between years within a single cost category without needing to request approval.
Projects with multiple Subaward Agreements
The "10% threshold" stated above refers to the total amount (cumulative across budget categories) being reallocated per institution.
Budget request change example
A project has a total budget of $100,000. $80,000 goes to Organization 1; $20,000 goes to Organization 2. Organization 1 needs to request approval only if its cumulative budget reallocation is more than $8,000, and Organization 2 only if its reallocation exceeds $2,000. So the 10% is at the institute or awardee level; not at the overall project level, and also not at the individual budget category level.
Metadata & Data
Principal investigators who have completed NPRB-funded research are required to provide datasets and metadata records for all data collected under NPRB grants as per the NPRB Metadata and Data Policy. These files are due within 60 days of the project end date. NPRB has teamed with Axiom Data Science to best manage data transfer and metadata submission. The NPRB online project workspace is designed to facilitate project management, data storage, security, collaboration, and reporting. The workspace is also linked to this public website where users can obtain general information about each project.
Policies &
Procedures
NPRB strives to implement a science program of the highest quality. To maintain this high quality research, NPRB has implemented procedures for reviewing proposals, avoiding conflicts of interest, reviewing final reports, and protecting confidential information. They are published in NPRB’s standard operating procedures and are revised as necessary. Prior to submitting a proposal, please review this documentation.
Sub-award Compliance Policy
Metadata & Data Policy
Intellectual property clause
Confidentialy of Information
Publications
Contact NPRB at the acceptance stage of any peer-reviewed publication that was funded, in whole or in part, by NPRB funding. Submit a .pdf of the completed publication below.
No-Cost Extension Request
NPRB staff consider no-cost extensions on a case-by-case basis, with no guarantee of approval. Submit requests for a no-cost extensions at least 30 days before the end of the project period. Send your request to Jo-Ann Mellish, Program Manager.
Justification for an extension
A brief narrative summary of funds that are expected to be remaining at the current ending date
Your requested new ending date with an updated timeline for completion based on your requested end date
Foreign Travel
Because NPRB funds originate with the Department of Commerce, NOAA must approve all foreign travel that occurs on NPRB grants. The approval process can take up to eight weeks, so please make your request as early as possible.
Requests must include: Full name of the meeting/conference, Itinerary (including dates of travel, dates of meeting/conference), Estimated costs for Airfare, Lodging ($xx/night for x nights), Meals ($xx/day fro x days), Registration, Ground transportation, Mileage, Other,and a short Justification. The Fly America Act applies to all travel using NPRB funding. A U.S. flag air carrier is required on every portion of a flight route unless qualified for a waiver.
If foreign travel was specified in your original project budget, the overall release of funds for your project will exclude the foreign travel funds. Each foreign travel trip must be approved individually. E-mail requests for foreign travel to Danielle Dickson and Kristin Thoresen.
Select Your Option Below:
Progress Reports
Progress reports are due July 31 (from January through June) and January 31 (from July through December) for the duration of the project. If a progress report due date falls within six months prior to the project end date, no progress report will be due. Progress reports should be submitted to progress.reports@nprb.org with the project number in the subject line (e.g., NPRB Project 1310 Progress Report Jan 2015). Projects funded in 2015 and later should use the Ocean Workspace for report submission.
FINAL REPORTS
Final reports are required for each long-term monitoring project, and must be submitted within 60 days after the project end date. These reports are the summation of each project's work, and provide a single, unified resource for learning about each project's results. NPRB may in its sole discretion choose to treat the final programmatic report as a draft final report, and to submit that draft to peer review.
Quarterly Financials
Quartely financial reporting is required for all long-term monitoring projects. Pre-populated financial forms, included in the "Release of Funds" notification, should be submitted to Kristin Thoresen, Grants Manager at the Alaska SeaLife Center (kristint@alaskasealife.org). Contact the program manager, Danielle Dickson, with general questions.
Financial
Reporting
NPRB funds are federal with a CFDA number of 11.472. Federal grant rules apply, including the Fly America Act. Projects are supported on a reimbursable basis, with invoices for expenditures due on a quarterly schedule. A financial report form, pre-populated from the accepted statement of work, is provided at the time of release of funds. Due dates for timely reimbursement are January 31st, April 30th, July 30th, and October 31st. Final invoices must be submitted within 60 days of the project end date and be clearly marked ‘Final’. Invoices will not be paid if programmatic reporting is delinquent. Failure to submit the final invoice within this period constitutes a complete waiver of all claims by the Subrecipient to any amounts not previously invoiced.
Contact Our Fiscal Agent
The Alaska SeaLife Center is the North Pacific Research Board's fiscal agent. Contact Tara Miller or (907) 224-6372 for all financial matters. Invoices should be submitted electronically, or by mail:
c/o Tara Miller
Alaska SeaLife Center
PO Box 1329
Seward, AK 99664
Budget Request Change
Reallocation of funds between or among the direct cost categories in the subawardee's NPRB Budget Summary Form in Appendix 1 must be approved in writing by NPRB prior to any such reallocated expenditure occurring, if that reallocation exceeds ten percent of the total subaward budget amount.
Projects with One Subaward Agreement
Reallocation of funds between direct cost categories requires approval only if the cumulative amount of budget reallocations is greater than 10% of the total budget amount. If you need to exceed this 10% threshold, you must request approval from NPRB. You can reallocate between years within a single cost category without needing to request approval.
Projects with multiple Subaward Agreements
The "10% threshold" stated above refers to the total amount (cumulative across budget categories) being reallocated per institution.
Budget request change example
A project has a total budget of $100,000. $80,000 goes to Organization 1; $20,000 goes to Organization 2. Organization 1 needs to request approval only if its cumulative budget reallocation is more than $8,000, and Organization 2 only if its reallocation exceeds $2,000. So the 10% is at the institute or awardee level; not at the overall project level, and also not at the individual budget category level.
Metadata & Data
Principal investigators who have completed NPRB-funded research are required to provide datasets and metadata records for all data collected under NPRB grants as per the NPRB Metadata and Data Policy. These files are due within 60 days of the project end date. NPRB has teamed with Axiom Data Science to best manage data transfer and metadata submission. The NPRB online project workspace is designed to facilitate project management, data storage, security, collaboration, and reporting. The workspace is also linked to this public website where users can obtain general information about each project.
Policies &
Procedures
NPRB strives to implement a science program of the highest quality. To maintain this high quality research, NPRB has implemented procedures for reviewing proposals, avoiding conflicts of interest, reviewing final reports, and protecting confidential information. They are published in NPRB’s standard operating procedures and are revised as necessary. Prior to submitting a proposal, please review this documentation.
Sub-award Compliance Policy
Metadata & Data Policy
Intellectual property clause
Confidentialy of Information
Publications
Contact NPRB at the acceptance stage of any peer-reviewed publication that was funded, in whole or in part, by NPRB funding. Submit a .pdf of the completed publication below.
No-Cost Extension Request
NPRB staff consider no-cost extensions on a case-by-case basis, with no guarantee of approval. Submit requests for a no-cost extensions at least 30 days before the end of the project period. Send your request to Jo-Ann Mellish, Program Manager.
Justification for an extension
A brief narrative summary of funds that are expected to be remaining at the current ending date
Your requested new ending date with an updated timeline for completion based on your requested end date
Foreign Travel
Because NPRB funds originate with the Department of Commerce, NOAA must approve all foreign travel that occurs on NPRB grants. The approval process can take up to eight weeks, so please make your request as early as possible.
Requests must include: Full name of the meeting/conference, Itinerary (including dates of travel, dates of meeting/conference), Estimated costs for Airfare, Lodging ($xx/night for x nights), Meals ($xx/day fro x days), Registration, Ground transportation, Mileage, Other,and a short Justification. The Fly America Act applies to all travel using NPRB funding. A U.S. flag air carrier is required on every portion of a flight route unless qualified for a waiver.
If foreign travel was specified in your original project budget, the overall release of funds for your project will exclude the foreign travel funds. Each foreign travel trip must be approved individually. E-mail requests for foreign travel to Danielle Dickson and Kristin Thoresen.
