Implications of tropospheric air pollution for surface UV exposures.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications proposing research to better understand the effect of tropospheric pollution (ozone and particulate matter) on surface ultraviolet radiation levels.

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV) has significant health and ecosystem impacts. Under current conditions, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime and one American dies every hour from this devastating disease. Changes in air quality affect UV exposures in ways that we do not fully understand. The goal of this solicitation is to enable research to better understand how changes in tropospheric ozone and particulate matter will alter surface UV exposures.

Several different U.S. government agencies operate UV monitoring programs that employ instrumentation falling into three distinctly different categories: broad-band sensors of radiation intensity within a spectral region between two specified levels, narrow-band instruments measuring radiation in several well-defined wavelength intervals, and spectral devices providing detailed information on radiation intensity as a function of wavelength. Details about the various UV monitoring networks can be found via the web at: http://www.arl.noaa.gov/ research/programs/uv.html

Between 1996 and 2004, EPA, in conjunction with the National Park Service, operated a 21-site monitoring network with a goal of characterizing UV exposures and trends in a range of ecoregions across the United States. This 21-site network used Brewer Mark IV single-monochromator spectrophotometers, which measure UV radiation levels reaching the Earth's surface at 0.5 nm increments over the wavelength range 286.3-363 nm, providing information on UV-B and UV-A exposures. The data from this network are available via the web at http:// www.epa.gov/uvnet/. A review of the data collected by this network was recently completed and is available in draft form at http://www.geecresearch.com/ EPAUV.htm

EPA is currently working with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Central UV Calibration Facility (CUCF) to redeploy its Brewer instruments at six sites, some of which are part of networks operated by NOAA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The new network will include a triad of Brewers at CUCF's Table Mountain Test Facility, where the Brewers will be compared to NOAA's reference spectro-radiometer. The new network configuration is intended to help characterize the performance of the Brewers and to collect information relevant to quantifying the effects of tropospheric ozone and fine particles on surface UV levels and radiative forcing.

The solicitation closing date is January 18, 2006. It is anticipated that a total of approximately $600,000 will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds. The EPA anticipates funding approximately two grants under this RFA. The projected award per grant is $100,000 per year total costs, for up to 3 years. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $300,000, including direct and indirect costs, will not be considered. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed 3 years. The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards under this RFA. The EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this RFA if additional funding becomes available. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than 4 months after the original selection decisions.

You may submit either a paper application or an electronic application (but not both) for this announcement. Instructions for both forms of submission follow. For paper applications, forms can be found on the NCER web site: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/ rfa/forms/. For electronic applications, use the application package available at https://apply.grants.gov/ forms_apps_idx.html (see "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications").

Contact: Bronda Harrison, 202-343-9777; e-mail: [e-mail]