Danube Hydrometeorological Observatory

Danube Hydrometeorological Observatory (DHMO), is the structural unit of State Committee for Hydrometeorology of Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Affairs, was established in September 1960. It comprises 3 hydro-meteorological stations, 14 hydrological stations and three research boats used for surveys in the Danube Delta and the adjacent Black Sea area. It staff consist of 99 persons. DHMO studies the Ukrainian Danube Delta, the adjacent part of the Black Sea and the Lower Danube Lakes.

Research Activities:

• Participation in the National System of Hydrometeorological Monitoring in the Danube Delta and the Adjacent Black Sea Area (1960 - currently)
• joint Ukrainian and Romanian hydrological studies of water and sediments discharge changeability in the Danube Delta (2000-2008);
• development of hydrological substantiation of the navigable channel between the Danube and the Black Sea on the Ukrainian segment of the Delta (2002-2004);
• TACIS Project «Lower Danube Lakes: Sustainable Restoration and Protection of Habitats and Ecosystems » (2000-2003);
• hydrological and hydrochemical monitoring of the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta under the conditions of restoration and use of the deep navigable channel between the Danube and the Black Sea (2004-2008);
• Tacis Project «Technical Assistance for the Lower Dnister River Basin Management Planning» (2006-2007);
• Tacis Project «Development of Transboundary Cooperation in the Sphere of Integrated Water Resources Management in the Lower Danube Euroregion in the Framework of the Neighborhood Programme «Ukraine – Romania» (2007 – 2009)

The project will essentially be implemented by:

• Dr. Victor Morozov – team leader – expert in hydrology of the Danube River and the adjacent Black Sea area;
• Mikhail Kornilov – hydrology, data collecting and processing, GIS;
• Olga Krutko – hydrochemistry of the surface and sea waters;
• Alexander Cheroy - hydrology, studies of the delta-formation processes;
• Vladimir Boychuk – oceanography and marine hydrology.

Role in the project:

DHMO is involved in several tasks across the project. First, it will participate in the definition of the climate models to be used to build climate scenarios in the Black sea catchment (task 3.2) and in the data collection for SWAT modelling (task 4.1), and then finally in some case studies in the WP6 on the Black Sea Catchment Observation System.

Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy

The Institute of Geography of the Romanian Academy (IGAR) is the main institution of fundamental and applied geographical research in Romania. It carries out research and documentation work, also coordinating Ph.D. activities. The focus of research is the relationships between the components of the physical and biotic environment (relief, water, soil, vegetation and fauna) and of the social and economic milieu, as well as their spatial distribution in connection with global environmental change.

The Institute is engaged in the two main activities. 1) The elaboration and publication of synthesis works on Romania (treatises, atlases and regional studies) and on Central and Eastern Europe and Black Sea countries; 2) The development of research into Physical Geography and Environmental Geography, closely connected to the interests of global international programmes, such as IGBP (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme), IHDP (International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change) and ISDR (International Strategy for Disaster Reduction).

At present, the Institute of Geography has 3 laboratories (Physical Geography, Human and Regional Geography and Environment & GIS) within which the research activities focus on the study of man-environment relations and global change. The research personnel of the Institute of Geography consist of 15 senior researchers, 20 young researchers and 12 PhD students.

The Institute of Geography was involved in EU FP6 project - Climate Change and Variability: Impact on Central and Eastern Europe (CLAVIER), coordinated by Max-Planck Institute (Hamburg, Germany) www.clavier-eu.org.

IGAR is currently involved in the following EU projects:

South-East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme - Climate Change and Impacts on Water Supply (CC-WaterS); Project coordinator: Viena City Hall, Austria (2009-2012); https://www.ccwaters.eu/.

FP7 – Enabling climate information service for Europe (ECLISE); Project coordinator: Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), The Netherlands (2011 – 2013).

FP7 - People – Marie Curie Initial Training Network - Changing Hydro-meteorological Risks – as Analyzed by a New Generation of European Scientists (CHANGES); Project coordinator: University of Twente, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and earth Observation, The Netherlands (2011-2015).

The project will essentially be implemented by:

• PhD Monica Dumitrascu is a Senior Researcher, Deputy Director of the Institute of Geography and expert in environmental change, land use and GIS analysis. Her scientific field of interest is environmental change and the impact of global climate change on landscape, agriculture and environmental degradation. She published over 50 publications on landscape change and environment issues in Romania.
• PhD Prof. Dan Balteanu is the Director of the Institute of Geography and Chair of the Romanian National Committee on Global Environmental Change. He is senior researcher at the Institute of Geography, PhD supervisor, his research field being environmental change and natural & technological hazards. He published over 15 volumes, and 100 scientific papers, many of them referring to the global change issues.
• PhD Ines Grigorescu is a scientific researcher in the Institute of Geography, with expertise in studying man-environment relationships and integrated environmental assessment, and environmental change.
• PhD Mihaela Sima is a senior researcher and head of Environment and GIS Laboratory with expertise in environmental geography, water contamination and natural and technological hazards
• PhD Ana Popovici is a scientific researcher in the Institute of Geography. Her domains of interest are land use - land cover changes, agriculture and impact on environment and society, GIS and modeling.
• PhD Carmen-Sofia Dragota, senior researcher with research interest in climate change and variability issues
• PhD Diana Dogaru, scientific researcher with focus on environmental vulnerability assessment, GIS and modeling
• PhD Bianca Mitrica, is senior researcher, Head of the Human and Regional Geography laboratory; fields of interest: socio-economic impact assessment
• PhD Gheorghe Kucsicsa, Research Assistant; research activity: environmental impact assessment, GIS and modeling
• PhD Candidate Mihaela Nastase with special interest in protected areas

Role in the project:

Within WP5, IGAR team is involved in two tasks Task 5.3 Agriculture and Task 5.6: Disasters early warning. In the Task 5.3 Agriculture IGAR will accomplish a brief historical overview of land property and land relations in Modern Times Romania, land reforms, land use changes and dynamics after the fall of the communist period and land fund in Romania under the transition to the market economy as well as agricultural land use by type and form of property and animal breeding. Concurrently, IGAR is undertaking a country-level analysis on the agri-environmental issues in Romania using GEPIC model; In the Task 5.6 Disasters early warning (Subtask 5.6.2. Invasive Terrestrial Plant Species-ITPS) IGAR team assesses the main environmental driving forces (natural and human-induced) responsible for the introduction and spread of ITPS in the Romanian protected areas (five case-studies, one for each biogeographical region of Romania: Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, Comana Natural Park, Rodna Mountains National Park, Lower Mures Floodplain Natural Park and Macin Mountains National Park) and the related impacts.

National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management, Romania

The National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management (INHGA) is a public institution and a subunit of the “Romanian Waters” National Administration, the national authority in hydrology, hydrogeology and water management. INHGA develops research activities and provides operational services of national and international public interest for the protection and socio-economic well-being of people. INHGA’s activities help improve peoples’ quality of life and help protect the environment.

Currently, the INHGA is involved in the elaboration and implementation of certain projects that pursue the development of hydrological forecast models, the monitoring of extreme hydrological phenomena, water resources management etc., like:
CLimate Change and Variability: Impact on Central and Eastern EuRope (CLAVIER), supported by the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme.
Monitoring, forecasting and best practices for FLOOD Mitigation and prevEntion in the CADSES region (FLOODMED), partially co-financed by European Community in the framework of the INTERREG IIIB CADSES Program
Central and Eastern Europe Climate Change Impact and VulnerabiLIty Assessment (CECILIA), supported by the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme
MOSES PROJECT: Improvement of Flood Management System, in the framework of the INTERREG IIIB CADSES Program
Hydro-meteological data resources and technologies for effective flash flood forecasting (HYDRATE), supported by the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme
ENSEMBLES Based Predictions of Climate Changes and Their Impacts, funded by the European Commission and coordinated by the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research at the UK Met Office.

The project will essentially be implemented by:

• PhD Sorin Teodor, scientific researcher, leader of the Hydrological Studies and Researches Department. He published one reference book and 2 practical guides regarding the improvement and the analysis of the data concerning the solid suspended discharge and the granulometry of the sedimental particles and more than 50 articles in hydrology.
• PhD Viorel Chendes Dr. Viorel Chendes is Senior Researcher, having major interests on surface water resources, hydrology models, flood assessment and GIS. He has acquired over 10 years of experience in these fields in the Institute of Geography, Faculty of Geography (“Spiru Haret” University), and Faculty of Hydrotechnics (Technical University of Civil Engineering). In present, he is the Head of G.I.S. Data Processing Laboratory from National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management (INHGA), preparing de GIS databases for hydrological studies (flood studies, analysis of catchments or rivers, topographic analysis, etc.), their integration in the hydrological databases, development of some research projects, etc. During 2003-2004, he has been involved in the co-ordination and development of an UNESCO Project: “The elaboration of the graphic database of the Romanian hydrological network (Danube tributaries and main rivers belonging to Romania)” as a support for the project “Basin-wide water balance of the Danube river basin”, in the framework of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) UNESCO. In 2004, together with other experts from INHGA, provided consultancy services in connection with EuropeAid/114577/D/SV/RO – RO 0103.03-02 “Protection of wetlands of the Danube – a pilot project for Cama Dinu islets area”, co-ordinated by Haskoning Nederland BV. His PhD thesis (2007) had the title „The runoff and suspended load in Bend Subcharpatians”, is based entirely on the applicability of GIS methods and techniques in hydrology. The spatial distribution of many physico-geographical factors and their analysis in GIS system, including spatial statistics, has allowed the development of new relationships between them and the different components of runoff and suspended load. He is involved in EnviroGRIDS in WP4 – Hydrological catchment models, especially in Task 4.1 – Data collection for SWAT.  is the head of GIS Data Processing Laboratory and a senior researcher. His research interest is the transpose of hydrologycal application in GIS environment.
• PhD Borcia Constantin is a Senior researcher in INHGA and the his main expertise is in the area of centralizing and processing data regarding the hydrology, chemistry and radioactivity of the Danube, Danube Delta and the Romanian seacoast of the Black Sea water and sediments.

Role in the project:

INHGA is leading the task on data collection for WAT modelling in WP4, as well as participating to the calibration of the hydrological models (task 4.1 and 4.2). INHGA is also involved in the task 6.3 on BSC Observation System for citizens.

Odessa National I.I. Mechnikov University

The Odessa National University (ONU) was founded in 1865. ONU has 8 Faculties, 3 Educational Institutes and 72 chairs. ONU prepares bachelors, holders of master and Ph.D. degrees in 30 specialties. There are more as 20.000 students from 25 countries. The University disposes of 17 autonomous scientific laboratories, a scientific library, botanical gardens and palaeontological, zoological, geological-mineralogical museums, in which more than 1700 collaborators work. Odessa National I.I. Mechnikov University is one of the biggest Universities of Ukraine with scientific Department from 800 scientists, specialists, engineers and administration.

The departments involved within the framework of the project are the Regional Centre for Environmental Monitoring and Ecological Research (RCIEMER) and the Department of Information Technology.

The main fields of RCIEMER activities are focused on:

• Improvement of education and training in environmental, biological, micro biological and ecological sciences.
• Researches in fields of marine microbiology, hydrobiology and ecology; environmental monitoring, management and protection; coastal zone studies; atmospheric and marine chemistry; climate and environment and health; modelling of natural ecosystems; improving the quality of life and management of living resources; environment and sustainable development, environmental sensing, environmental impact assessment.

RCIEMER has already taken part in various national and international environmental oriented programmes and projects. RCIEMER has monitored the ecosystems of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, analysis and forecasting the present regional ecological situation in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Long-term studies have been carried out on biodiversity, hydrobiology, microbiology and ecotoxicology of the Danube Delta Lakes and the Black Sea ecosystems. RCIEMER has a Development Research and Educational facility in the western part of the Black Sea near to the Danube Delta. The work plan involves the regular monitoring of the Black Sea zone near the station.

International research activities:

• FP6 Nitroeurope Project: 017841 (GOCE). (2006-2011)
• FP6 BlackSeaScene project 022868 (RICA). (2005-2008)
• TACIS CBC Programme. Technical Assistance for Lower Dniester basin water management planning. (2006-2007).
• INTAS - 04-77-7112. New methods of information treatment for management of water quality in river basins. (2005-2007)
• ESA-IAF Project “ERUNET” (European-Russian-Ukrainian GMES Network for Monitoring of Oil Spills and Oil & Gas Pipelines) (2004-2005)
• TACIS CBC Programme. Lower Danube lakes: sustainable restoration and protection of habitats and ecosystems. (2000-2003).
• INTAS-RFRB-97-1435 “Study on nitrogen compounds in the atmosphere over the Former Soviet Union related to acidification and climate change.”(1999-2001)
• INTAS-97-1860 “To establish the network of scientists for improving NIS data on atmospheric chemistry” (1999-2001)
• INCO - Copernicus Project “Oil and herbicide pollution in the Black Sea: detection and biological impact". 1997-2000
• RTD Cooperation with third countries and international organizations “International project "Geological History of Yucca Mountain (Nevada) and the Problem of a High-Level Nuclear Waste Repository", USA, Ukraine, Russia. (1995-1998)

The project will essentially be implemented by:

• Dr. Volodymyr Medinets, team leader - expert for Monitoring and Ecological Research, since 1982 to present - the main activity as principal investigator or team leader in national and international scientific projects in marine ecology, atmospheric chemistry, radioecology for the Black Sea, the Danube River, the Dniester Rivers and other freshwater bodies.
• Dr. Igor Souchkov – Geology and Bottom sediments of the Black sea and geological issues in basin of the Black Sea.
• Dr. Yaroslav Bilanchin – Land cover and soils quality in southern part of Ukraine.
• Dr. Natalia Kovalyova – Microbiology and marine biology of the Black sea.
• Dr. Yulia Molodozgen. – Regional Economy in adjacent to the Black sea areas.
• Yevgen Gazyetov - data processing and management and GIS
• Sergey Snigirev – Ichtiology. Fish biodiversity data.

Role in the project:

ONU is involved in WP3 "Scenarios of Change" as participant for task 3.3 "Land cover: change models and scenarios of expected changes until 2050" for region of southern part of Ukraine in framework of Land cover change module creation (historical and current model inputs and data model).

ONU will collect historical and current data for hydrological catchment models especially for SWAT in framework of WP4 "Catchment Hydrological Models" (tasks 4.1) for Dniester River catchment. ONU will be involve in WP5 "Impacts on selected Societal Benefits Areas" fulfilment (tasks 5.1, 5.2 ) for Biodiversity and Ecosystems state assesments especially for area of the Black Sea around island Zmeiny near Danube Delta and Dnister Delta wetlands. In framework of task 5.3 "Agriculture" on base modelling phase ONU will implement part of sub-regional case studies for Ukraine and Romania together with IGAR a country level analysis of the agriculture sector which will be carried out with focus on agri-environmental issues in Romania and Ukraine with goals to identify potential hotspots, current policy and physical drivers of change, and creation a country-level EPIC GIS.

ONU will take part in WP6 for the Black Sea Catchment Observation System development using GEO BSC analysis and status of the national GEO related activities in the Black Sea region conducted by different national organizations trough preparation of proposals for Strategy for Earth Observation in the Black Sea region and for an Action plan for resources mobilization and enhancement of GEO activities in the Black Sea region.