NASA requests proposals for investigations to advance the development of a carbon monitoring system. Emphasis is to be directed towards continued development of the established Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) pilot studies, acquisition, field sampling, quantification, and development of prototype Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) system capabilities which can provide transparent data products achieving levels of precision and accuracy required by current carbon trading protocols.This is an ammendment to the call posted earlier on
http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId={41E74515-E19D-72E5-3111-41FE7A816E29}&path=open

NASA is also looking for advancements from past CMS activities that will substantially contribute to the above activity. Successful applicants will become members of the NASA CMS Science Team.

Notices of Intent are requested by May 19, 2014; proposals are due June 17, 2014, 60 days after the release of this Amendment.

The time between the release of this text and the due date for proposals is 60 days because of congressional direction and the timing of the FY 2014 budget.

On April 18, 2014, this Amendment to the NASA Research Announcement "Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2014" (NNH14ZDA001N) was posted on the NASA research opportunity homepage athttp://nspires.nasaprs.com/ and appeared on the RSS feed at:http://science1.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/grant-solicitations/roses-2014/

 'NASA is interested in receiving proposals for the following types of prototyping, research, and scoping activities for carbon monitoring:

 •     Studies using commercial off-the-shelf technologies to produce and evaluate prototype monitoring, reporting, and verification system approaches and/or calibration and validation data sets for future NASA missions, including, but not limited to, monitoring reporting and verification work in support of REDD, REDD+, or SilvaCarbon projects;

•     Studies that address research needs to advance remote sensing-based approaches to monitoring, reporting, and verification (e.g., quantification of forest degradation; independent assessment of the accuracy of airborne remote sensing observations of biomass and carbon stocks; use of airborne flux observations and satellite remote sensing, as alternative methods for quantifying net carbon emissions/storage).

•     Studies that advance upon, extend, and/or improve the existing CMS products for biomass and flux resulting from NASA’s first phases of CMS pilot studies; such studies may include, for example, product improvements, refined characterization and quantification of errors and uncertainties, and/or preparation and delivery of a mature product for long-term archive at an established NASA DAAC or equivalent data center.

 Data from airborne or spaceborne remote sensing must be an essential element in all proposed carbon monitoring investigations. In light of 2014 Congressional guidance noting that current orbital and suborbital platforms are insufficient to meet all monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) objectives, the use of commercial off-the-shelf technologies is strongly encouraged. All sources of remotely sensed data to be used must be well justified in terms of their importance and appropriateness for the work to be conducted, as well as their overall utility and priority for monitoring carbon for science, management, and policy.

The NASA CMS program continues to emphasize the importance of characterizing and quantifying uncertainties and errors in all CMS products and analyses, and such work must be included in all investigations proposed (see also section 2.2.7).

Proposals must explain the societal relevance of the carbon monitoring activities proposed and provide justification regarding the importance of this work to U.S. national interests in current or potential carbon monitoring for science, management, and policy. Proposers are strongly encouraged to address stakeholder interests in their studies and to contribute to CMS activities to understand and engage the user community for carbon monitoring products.'

As a CCIWG activity, the CCIWG expects that the outcomes of this solicited research call will contribute to the U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program/CCIWG goals and priorities. Please contact CCIWG member Diane Wickland (Diane.E.Wickland@nasa.gov) for further information.