A.17 Hydrosphere
NASA's A.17 Hydrosphere grant funds innovative research to advance understanding of Earth's water systems across oceans, land, and atmosphere.
Funder: NASA Research Opportunities (NSPIRES) (https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/solicitations/)
Due Dates: October 8, 2026 (Step-1 proposals) | January 28, 2027 (Step-2 proposals)
Funding Amounts: Typical awards range from tens of thousands to several million dollars per year; most projects run 3 years, with some up to 5 years.
Summary: Supports innovative research advancing scientific understanding of Earth's hydrosphere, including ocean physics, terrestrial hydrology, and precipitation science.
Key Information: Step-1 proposal is required for Step-2 submission; dual-anonymous peer review applies.
Description
This NASA Research Opportunities (NSPIRES) program element seeks to advance understanding of Earth's hydrosphere by funding research projects focused on the physics, distribution, movement, and transformation of water across the ocean, land, and atmosphere. Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary approaches that address fundamental questions about water systems, leveraging new measurements (e.g., ocean salinity, snow depth, precipitation via commercial satellites), supporting field campaigns (such as the Fate of River Export and Surface Hydrology), and integrating data from NASA missions like NISAR. The program encourages proposals that broaden the scope to related Earth science disciplines and innovative methodologies.
