The Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division (EESSD) within the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program has recently initiated a new focus on urban regions through development of an Urban Integrated Field Laboratories research effort (References 1-3). EESSD's objective for its urban research initiative is to advance the science underpinning understanding of the predictability of urban systems and their two-way interactions with the climate system and to provide the knowledge and information necessary to inform equitable climate and energy solutions that can strengthen community scale resilience across urban landscapes. As part of this focus on urban research, BER has identified the need for improved measurement technologies for urban regions. This topic is focused on addressing measurement and data challenges to improve the spatial characterization of key atmospheric, ecological, and environmental variables across urban regions. Urban regions are densely populated areas and are highly heterogeneous, i.e., having uneven distribution of physical landforms and vegetation, environmental processes, the built environment and infrastructure, population density, and socioeconomic clustering in the urban landscape. These complex, heterogeneous environments make representative measurements of urban regions and systems challenging. Some of the challenges of urban observations include: measurements conducted at a single location may not be representative of other areas in the urban region; properties and characteristics are likely to change rapidly over short distances and times and may be influenced by anthropogenic flows and sources of emissions, heat, and water; measurement techniques may not be designed for the variable surfaces and complex atmospheric flows experienced in urban areas; sensors need to be robust, self-cleaning, low powered, resistant to tampering; and that data from disparate sources may need to be integrated to get a full view of the urban system (References 4-6). Particular emphasis is placed on technologies that can provide information on spatial variabilities across urban regions and how the variabilities exert influences on local micro-climates and micro-environments affecting urban communities or that can provide observations for understanding biogeochemical cycling and atmospheric composition in urban systems. Of particular interest are individual or networked systems suitable for unattended and/or remote operation and that have independent/low power requirements and on-board or centralized/remote data storage and download capability for extended unattended operation and data collection. Applications to this topic could include: new measurement sensors or instrument systems; new algorithms for improved measurements in urban environments with existing sensors; low-cost or adaptable sensors that could be deployed in distributed networks or mounted on surface vehicles; methods to combine in situ and satellite data to better characterize urban regions; methods for enabling and analyzing non-traditional data sources such as crowd-sourced, mobile phone, vehicle, or community-based observing data; or new data products or visualization tools that merge data from multiple sensors. Applications to this topic that propose development or improvement of hardware should (1) demonstrate performance characteristics of the proposed technology, and (2) show a capability for deployment in urban environments. Phase I projects must perform feasibility and/or field tests of proposed technologies to assure the ability to survive the complex physical and human conditions common to an urban environment. Applications must provide convincing documentation (experimental data, calculations, and/or simulations as appropriate) to show that the proposed method is appropriate to make the desired measurements and can feasibly be deployed in urban environments without violating rules, regulations, and laws, including privacy concerns. Applications proposing development of data products or visualization tools that merge data from multiple sensors must clearly explain the availability of the data to be used. Applications proposing collection of data from nontraditional sources (e.g., crowd-sourced, mobile phone, vehicle, or community-based observing data) must clearly explain the feasibility of collecting the proposed data, and how collection of such data will be done without violating rules, regulations, and laws, including privacy concerns. Applicants are encouraged to consider novel and innovative approaches. Applications must clearly indicate how the proposed technology is a significant advance over existing commercially available technologies, data products, or tools for the measurement variables of interest. Applications that propose only incremental improvements to existing sensors, data products, or tools may be declined. Applications should clearly describe planned calibration, verification, and/or quality control procedures for any proposed instrument, sensor, or data product. EXCLUSIONS/RESTRICTIONS: Applications that include development of uncrewed aerial system (UAS) platforms, autonomous ground vehicles, autonomous aquatic vehicles, or sensors or control systems for such autonomous vehicles are not responsive and will not be accepted. a. Urban Atmospheric Characterization This subtopic solicits applications for novel and innovative measurement technologies for improved characterization of the spatial distribution of atmospheric properties in the urban boundary layer with a particular focus on boundary layer height, atmospheric turbulence, vertical wind profiles, aerosol composition, aerosol absorption, and aerosol size distribution. High spatial and temporal-resolution measurements of the boundary layer height, atmospheric turbulence, and vertical profiles of atmospheric wind speed and direction within and around urban regions are important for understanding transport and dispersion of atmospheric pollutants, the maintenance of the urban heat island, and large-scale flow within and around cities (References 7-8). Additionally, such profiles are needed for initializing and validating high-resolution urban models (Reference 9). The heterogeneity of the urban environment makes it challenging to characterize atmospheric flow features such as dead zones, eddies, and flow through street canyons and around built and natural structures in urban areas (Reference 9). Existing measurement techniques such as radar wind profilers, Doppler lidars, scintillometry, and eddy covariance are increasingly being deployed in urban environments, but improvements in capabilities, size, power, cost, autonomous operation, reduced ground clutter, and portability are needed to make them more suitable for deployment as part of urban sensor networks (References 10-13). Additionally, improved methods for quality control, calibration, and interpretation of measured data over complex urban surfaces are needed (Reference 11). In addition to measurements of quantities relevant to physical meteorology, measurements of aerosol properties are sought as well. Aerosol properties can vary significantly over short time and space scales in urban environments due to the variability of emission sources, transport and dispersion, and chemical transformations. Therefore, low-cost sensors capable of being deployed as sensor networks are needed to better characterize aerosol properties in urban environments (References 14-15). While many low-cost sensors for measurement of aerosol particulate mass currently exist, measurements of aerosol size distributions, absorption, and composition are typically performed by more complex instruments. Applications are sought for development of low-cost, low-power sensors for aerosol particle size distribution, aerosol absorption, and/or aerosol composition that are suitable for unattended and remote operation in urban environments. Applications must clearly indicate how proposed sensors are an advance over existing commercially available technologies or existing sensor networks (e.g., increased capabilities; significantly lower size, power or cost) and why the proposed sensors are more suitable than existing commercial technologies for measurements in urban environments. Questions Contact: Sally McFarlane, Sally.McFarlane@science.doe.gov or Jeff Stehr, Jeff.Stehr@science.doe.gov b. Urban Hydrologic Measurements This subtopic solicits applications for development of new and innovative measurements and approaches to better characterize the hydrology of urban stream networks, streamflow and inundation dynamics. An integrated understanding of urban watershed biogeochemistry and water, energy, and biogeochemical cycling in urban ecosystems requires detailed characterization of hydrological drivers. Urban hydrology is driven by hydraulically efficient but often deteriorating stormwater drainage, complex runoff and infiltration patterns created by urban land use, and the complexity of urban precipitation patterns. Urban flooding is a growing concern in urban regions due to increased development of impervious surfaces, deteriorating infrastructure and changing weather patterns (Reference 16). In addition to flooding the hydro-biogeochemical dynamics of urban streams are distinct and due to different processes than natural systems (e.g., urban stream syndrome [Reference 17]). Small urban streams are often flashier (e.g., higher variability in high and low flows), and subject to diversion, disconnection, and other channel alterations. They may disappear and reappear through urban landscapes and are often infrequently monitored or measured. They flow through restricted or exposed landscapes, making traditional stage and discharge measurements unrealistic or impossible. Continuous monitoring of key urban streamflow characteristics (stage, discharge) and event-based detection and mapping of overland flow and inundation extent in urban systems are key challenges toward a systematic understanding of urban hydrology and how it impacts the function and structure of urban ecosystems and drives urban watershed hydro-biogeochemistry. Highly detailed and low latency hydrologic information can help inform study design and target sampling for urban watershed studies, and can provide key information on the causes, impacts, and potential mitigation of small urban stream flooding. Applications are sought for new approaches to continuous water level and discharge measurements in small urban streams, to address the challenges of characterizing urban stream networks. Applications to this topic should target continuous measurements of water level and/or discharge, and/or approaches to detecting and mapping inundation events (e.g., ponded or overland flowing water) and ephemeral channels in urban watersheds. Development of in situ streamflow sensors will need to meet the challenges with approaches that meet the challenges of hardened, inconspicuous, autonomous sensors needed to work in urban environments. Approaches for inundation, overland flow, and ephemeral channel flow either could be met through sensor development and/or non-contact or crowd source methods. Key characteristics for technologies to map and detect inundation and flowing water include technology that detects and communicates events in real time, an ability to withstand and record both inundation and recession of water, and hardened, inconspicuous, low-cost sensors that can deployed in arrays in urban environments to capture urban flooding dynamics in small streams. Questions Contact: Jennifer Arrigo, Jennifer.Arrigo@science.doe.gov c. Urban Visualization and Data Analysis Tools This subtopic solicits applications for novel and innovative visualization and data analysis tools to inform urban research, stakeholders and decision makers. Existing urban measurements are collected by a variety of agencies, organizations, and institutions and cover a wide range of data types, resolutions, and formats. Tools are needed to integrate, quality control, and visualize urban data sets from existing in situ networks, satellite data, models, and other non-traditional data sources to make them easier to access by research and user communities. Tools must extend beyond a single location or a single variable and must instead be applicable to multiple urban areas, measurements, and uses. Tools that consider the variable uncertainties of measurements and other data types are highly desired. Innovative tools that make use of machine learning, artificial intelligence, or advanced statistical techniques for merging multiple data sets, intelligent mapping, gap filling, downscaling, interpolation, or derivation of additional environmental parameters are of particular interest. Applications are strongly encouraged to consider development of tools that couple urban climate/environmental data with building, energy, socioeconomic, demographic, modeling, and/or health impacts data to inform equitable climate and energy solutions. Development of neighborhood-scale visualization/analysis is particularly encouraged. Applications must clearly indicate what datasets will be integrated, the types of algorithms/approaches to be used, and how the proposed tools are an advance over commercial off the shelf software. Questions Contact: Justin Hnilo, Justin.Hnilo@science.doe.gov, Jeff Stehr Jeff.Stehr@science.doe.gov, or Sally McFarlane, Sally.McFarlane@science.doe.gov d. Other In addition to the specific subtopics listed above, the Department invites grant applications in other areas that fall within the scope of the topic description above. Questions Contact: Sally McFarlane, Sally.McFarlane@science.doe.gov
