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National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) is the Bulgarian Hydro-meteorological Service. At present it belongs to Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), an autonomic scientific organization. NIMH has two main tasks. The first one is to maintain operationa l meteorological, hydrological and environmental activities (observations, telecommunication, data processing and archiving, forecasting etc.) as to fulfil the needs of the society in the country and for international exchange. The second task is research in the field of meteorology, hydrology and environment. NIMH is the main provider of scientific research and operational activities in the field of meteorology, agro-meteorology and hydrology in the country. It is providing the Governmental Institutions with high quality of hydro-meteorological, agro-meteorological and other environmental data, analyses, expertise and different forecasts for the country and the Western part of the Black Sea.

The scientific staff of NIMH as part of BAS is in charge for development and adaptation of methods for modern information technologies for research, modelling and forecasting of hydro- and meteorological phenomena and processes. The scientists of NIMH participate in many national, regional and international research projects governed by WMO, CEC, NATO, IAEA, FAO, World Bank, etc. The basic aim of the research is the development of the geophysical sciences (mainly in regional scale).

There are three levels of responsibility in the Institute: The Central Board situated in Sofia, 4 Regional Branches and about 35 observatories covering the territory of the country. The Central Board consists of 4 Research & Operational Departments and several supporting units. The total number of the staff is about 700 (including 90 scientists).

NIMH maintains the following observational networks:

  • Meteorological network: 30 synoptic stations including 5 stations on mountain peaks; 1 upper-air sounding stations; 98 climatic stations; 243 rain-gage stations; 32 agrometeorological and 4 forest stations ; 69 phenological posts.
  • Hydrological network: 178 hydrological stations; 373 wells, drill-holes and springs.
  • Air and water pollution network: 1 background pollution station; 5 sampling posts for air-pollution monitoring; 198 sampling posts for surface water pollution monitoring; 170 sampling posts for under-ground water pollution monitoring; 34 acid-rain measurement posts.

The R&O Departments play the main role in implementing the operational and scientific activities of the Institute. Each department is led by senior researcher (usually with Ph.D. or ScD degree). The R&O

Departments and their activities are as follow:

  • METEOROLOGY: General meteorology, climatology, agro-meteorology, meteorological and agro-meteorological databases, Researches on climate resources.
  • HYDROLOGY: Resources of surface and ground waters, sediments and fluvial processes, time-spatial variability of the river runoff, extreme hydrological events, short and long term hydrological forecasts.
  • ATMOSPHERE AND THE HYDROSPHERE COMPOSITION: Meteorological and hydrological aspects of the air and water pollution, Atmospheric boundary layer physics; air pollution modelling
  • WEATHER FORECAST: Operational weather forecast, creating and adapting numerical weather forecast models, forecast technologies and software for weather forecast, application of remote sensing information.

The project will essentially be implemented by:

  • Dr. Valery Spiridonov, Deputy Director General of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, senior scientist. Experience in numerical modeling and forecast, objective analysis, assimilation of satellite information, climate modeling. Head of Bulgarian group of the international projects ALADIN (international program for numerical modeling) and ‘CECILIA’ (FP6 project on climate change). Participation in WP3, WP6 and WP7.
  • Dr. Anna Kortcheva, senior scientist. Experience in marine meteorology and forecast, data management and satellite meteorology. Participation in WP6 and WP7.
  • Dr. Staytcho Kolev, senior scientist and scientific secretary of the NIMH. He is senior lecturer at the Sofia University. Research interests: Climate change, quality of meteorology information. Member of Commission of atmospheric sciences at WMO. Principal Investigator in the CLAVIER project of FP6). Participation in WP3, WP6 and WP7.
  • Dr. Dobri Dimitrov, senior researcher, Deputy Director at the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH). Research interests in developing of software applications for hydrological models, forecasting and water resources studies. Participant at several international research projects financed by the EC, World Bank and NATO. From 1998 to 2001 he was Chairman of the Danube Accident Emergency Warning System. Participation in WP4.

Role in the project:

NIMH participates in four work packages. In WP3 (Task 3.2) NIMH will perform a reference run based on ERA40 reanalysis (1961-2000) and provide meteorological GRID data with 10 km resolution for Danube catchments area and East part of Black sea. For the same area and resolution climatic runs will be performed based on A1B scenario. The climate simulations will be based on ALDIN and REMO regional climatic models and will cover the period 2020-2050 years.

In WP4 (Task 4.1 and Task 4.2) NIMH will prepare girded input and flow data needed to run and calibrate the SWAT model and will take part in the verification, calibration and comparison of the SWAT model results. The model uncertainty will be analyzed as well as the advantages in using grid data. NIMH will apply the SWAT model for some Bulgarian sub-basin with sensitive environmental problems.

In WP6 NIMH will create and strengthen National GEO committees and elaborate a Strategy for Earth Observation in the Black Sea region and an Action plan for resources mobilization of GEO activities in the Black Sea region.

In WP7 NIMH will organize thematic workshops on 4 themes: climate change scenarios, hydrological models, risk assessment and early warning, and sustainability and vulnerability in the Societal Benefit areas.

 

Tavrida National University

Taurida National University is one of the largest higher educational institutions in Ukraine. Established in 1918, now University has 78 chairs that are incorporated in 15 faculties, where more than 17 000 students have studying. About 500 professors, science doctors and professor’s assistants make working staff of TNU.

Geoecology Chair of TNU – one of the leaders in graduating of bachelors and masters of ecology in Crimea, it carries out many important researches in the field of environment protection and sustainable development. Jointly with another University structures: Scientific-Research Centre of Technologies of Sustainable Development and Regional Information-Analytical Centre of Environmental Monitoring, the Chair decides the key problems of regional development in the field of natural resources management, protection of environment, ecology-economic optimization of Crimean peninsula territory. On the basis of Geoecology Chair the UNESCO Chair “Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development” was founded at 2006.

Main international research activities:

  • "Biodiversity Conservation Needs Assessment in Crimea" (1997-2001). Project was supported by the Biodiversity Support Program (USA), which was consortium of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), organization "The Nature Conservancy" and World Resources Institute (WRI).
  • INTAS-UA-952-177 project "Biological effectiveness of forestry actions and environmental protection" (1997-1999).
  • Education on spatial planning in the framework of a post-graduate course at Vernadsky Taurida National University - Scientific Co-operation between Eastern Europe and Switzerland (SCOPES 2000-2003).
  • Tempus-TACIS project CD_JEP-21242-2000/Ukr «Development of Education in a field of Ecologically Safe Energetics» (2001-2004).
  • Strategic Environmental Assessment of Crimean Regional Development Strategy. UNDP Crimea Integration and Development Programme in coordination with Council of Ministers of Autonomous Republic of Crimea (2007-2008).

The project will essentially be implemented by:

  • Dr Tatyana Bobra  Prof. Tatyana Bobra is author of more than 150 advanced studies, 10 monographs and 11 train and methodological manuals. A coauthor of on-line tutorials of normative disciplines on «Landscape ecology», «Setting of norms of the anthropogenic loadings on the natural environment» of the educationally-professional program of preparation of Bachelors in «Ecology», ratified by scientific-methodical center of Higher education of MON of Ukraine, 8.02.2005 A participant of many research field expeditions in Crimea, the Caucasus, in the Carpathians, in Middle Asia (Kopetdag). Participant of 20 International projects such as ISAR, INTAS, TACIS, BSP, Swiss scientific fund, TEMPUS-TACIS, ES of UNO, European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, 7 scope program of European Union, TEMPUS IV and 49 scientific-research topics and expertise, 6 ecological audits on the order of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Additional information:Laureate of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Award in 2005 in the nomination «Education» for the manual «Ecological audit». Recipient of an award in 2008 «Excellent worker of education of Ukraine» and Gratitude of Chairman of the Supreme Council of ARK. Responsible secretary of scientific magazine «Geopolitics and ecogeodynamics of regions», scientific editor of magazine of «Notes of Geoecologists’Society». A founder of NGO «Geoecologosts’Society ». Member of International Association of landscape ecology – IALE. – Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Associate Professor - landscape ecology, geographical boundaries, ecotones, econet, environmental audit  - team leader;
  • Dr Alexander Lychak  Senior lecturer – member of the local Scientific Steering Committee. Associated Professor of Chair of Geoecology, Geography Department Taurida National V.I. Vernadskiy University (TNU). Fields of scientific interests: 1. Theoretical problems geoecology, spatial analysis, the dynamics of ecosystems, the environmental conditions of landscape systems and GIS-technology: more than 100 scientific works were published; 2. Landscape fundamentals of creation of nature protection system and nature resources management in Crimea: more than 50 scientific works were published. Total number of scientific publications - 160. Member of UNESCO Chair «Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development» of V.I.Vernadsky Taurida National University. Director of Regional Information-Analytical Center for Environmental Monitoring (Simferopol, jointly VTNU and Republic Committee for Environmental Protection and Nature Resources of Autonomous Republic of Crimea). Head of more than 60 research projects. – Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Associate Professor, Director of Regional Information-Analytical Center of Environmental Monitoring - GIS, landscape ecology, econet, environmental situations assessment, protected areas;
  • Alexander Rudyk – Assistant of Professor – landscape ecology, management of protected areas, econet, EIA and SEA;
  • Vadim Yashenkov – Msc, post graduate student – landscape ecology, alternative energy, EIA.
  • Grigoriy Prokopov - Assistant of Professor -  Hydrobiology, Human Ecology
  • Irina Gluchenko – Researcher - programming, GIS, computer modeling and mapping

Role in the project:

TNU is involved in three tasks on Biodiversity, Ecosystem and Health pilot studies within WP5.

 

Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, Ukraine

Established in 1871 as a small biological station, IBSS has at present three campuses along the coast (with the headquarter in Sevastopol), two State Reserves, and an Aquarium-Museum. The IBSS staff comprises 137 Ph.D. scientists, 80 engineers and a group of technicians. Two IBSS research vessels carried out over 150 expeditions to the Black Sea, the Atlantic and Indian Ocean.

The IBSS research deal with taxonomy, fisheries aquaculture, ecotoxicology, biotechnology, physiology, environmental impact assessment, radioactive processes, and modelling. The library stock represents a diversity of disciplines with 150 000 items including 75 000 in foreign languages and over 1000 rare books (published in 1766-1880).

In terms of the activity matching the EnviroGRIDS objectives, IBSS is involved in oceanographical database development, studies of the spatial-temporal structure, biological productivity, and physical-biological coupling in the pelagic and benthos marine ecosystems with regard to climate change. For example, the IBSS data bank has physical, chemical, and biological data on 157 research cruises to the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

The IBSS involvement in the international projects incorporates: SESAME, GODAR, Euro-GOOS , EUR-OCEANS, Science for Peace Program (NATO), INTAS and targeted cooperation programs with Amsterdam University, Stony Brook University, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA), and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (UK).

The project will essentially be implemented by:

  • Dr. Alexandra Gubanova (Senior Scientist, Ph.D): Project coordination; Selection of data for the project and processing of zooplankton samples. Quality assurance of the plankton data sets (taxonomy). Writing papers (based on project materials) dealing with biodiversity changes of the Black Sea ecosystem.
  • Dr. Sergey Piontkovski (Senior Scientist, Ph.D): Statistical data analysis; Basin scale data comparison. Writing papers (based on project materials) dealing with spatial-temporal changes of the Black Sea ecosystem with regard to climate change.
  • Alexandra Sergeeva (Leading Engineer): IBSS database development. Incorporation of the archived physical, chemical, and biological data into the project database.
  • Vladimir Gorbunov (Leading Engineer): Development of the interoperability for the IBSS data, facilitation of network access and sharing of data.
  • Denis Altukhov (Leading Engineer): Data mining for the EnviroGRIDS models. Processing of zooplankton samples and taxonomical identification of species.
  • Alexander Khvorov (Graduate student): Data entry. Training in oceanographic database development and the analysis of the spatial patterns in the Black Sea ecosystem.

Role in the project:

The main input of IBSS will be to the following generic technical objective of the EnviroGRIDS project within WP5 task: link, gather, store, manage and distribute key environmental data. The Black Sea plankton ecosystem will be investigated by the IBSS that has been involved in the Black Sea studies for over than 80 years and has the graet experience in the marine plankton research.

The IBSS team will focus on:

Analyzing large environmental data sets - seasonal and interannual changes of plankton biodiversity and hydrology in the Black Sea over the past 50 years with regard to the atmospheric anomalies and anthropogenic impact.

Developing a 50-year database on plankton surveys of the Black Sea available from IBSS archives;

Supporting the long-term time series of plankton sampling in the Gulf of Sevastopol.

The database assembly along with additional monthly physical and biological measurements (temperature, salinity, phyto- and zooplankton abundance) will serve the EnviroGRIDS aim to improve data access and use in the Black Sea catchment. As well, it will gradually compensate the lack of information on the basin-scale and interannual trends of the Black Sea coastal (regional) ecosystems. It will enable researchers to classify plankton ecosystems of the Black Sea on the basis of their spatial-temporal trends.

 

Ministry of  Forest and Water Affairs

Ministry of  Forest and Water Affairs of Turkey was founded in 2011. The Ministry has three General Directories (General Directorate of National Parks and Nature Conservation, General Directorate of Water Management, General Directorate of Combating Erosion and Desertification). The main missions of our ministry are:

  • To determine policies on the subjects such as protection, improvement, operating, rehabilitation and maintenance of forest areas, combating desertification and erosion, reforestation and pasture improvement on forestry,
  • To determine policies regarding nature conservation, designation of protected areas, to provide protection, management, improvement, operating, having them operated of national parks, nature parks, nature monuments, nature reserve area, wetlands, biological diversity and protection of wildlife and hunting/games,
  • To determine policies on conservation and sustainable use of water resources, to coordinate national water management affairs,
  • To determine policies and strategies related with monitoring meteorological events and taking necessary measures about them,
  • Carrying out the preparatory works made on a national scale for the purpose of following international studies within the scope of the Ministry and of making contribution on them, with the cooperation of related organizations

Also, Ministry of Forest and Water Affairs has two affiliated institutions, namely State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) and State Meteorological Service (DMİ) that are the head agencies of the hydrology and climatology, respectively.

State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) is a legal entity included in general budget, and is the primary executive state agency responsible for planning, management, development and operation of the nation’s overall water resources. DSİ is responsible for four major tasks: Irrigated agriculture enhancement, hydroelectric energy generation, water supply to large cities, and flood prevention measures
Reservoir operation information, River discharge data at hydrometric stations and water quality at hydrometric stations data will be provided by DSİ.
State Meteorological Service (DMİ) is the only legal organization that provides all meteorological information in Turkey. The main objectives of the DMİ are:

  • To make observations
  • To provide forecasts
  • To provide climatological data, archive data, and other information
  • To communicate these to the public
  • To provide meteorological needs of army and civil aviation.

Main international research activities:

  • Water Database Project (DSİ)
  • TEIEN (MoEF), Establishment of Turkish Environmental Information Exchange Network
  • Corine Land Cover Project (MoEF)
  • Environmental Information System (EIS)
  • (MoEF), Interactive Water Management Project (MoEF)
  • Flash Flood Guidance System (DMİ)
  • Solar Atlas (DMİ)
  • GEF Procet (Strenghtening  Sea and Shore Protection Areas of Turkey)
  • GEF Project (Biodiversity and Neturel Resources Project)
  • GEF Project (Strenghtening Management of Forest Protection Areas, Küre Mountains)
  • Protection of Biodiversity and Naturel Resources Project in Yıldız Mountains

The project will essentially be implemented by:

  • Etem AKGÜNDÜZ. Faculty of Geodesy ve Fotogrametry Engineering, Masters Degree of Physical Science
  • Kamile KALAYCI. Faculty of Agriculture, Bachelor of Agriculture Engineer
  • Gencay SERTER. Faculty of Architecture (City and Reginal Planning) Bachelor of City Planner, Masters Degree of City and Environmental Sciences

Role in the project:

MEF entered the consortium following the recommendations from the Gap analysis. MEF will seek to obtain new hydrological and meteorological data from Turkey, as inputs for SWAT. It will also participate to the evaluation of the outputs of the Black Sea SWAT model in smaller regional sub-catchments. MEF activities will be essentially in WP4.

 

University of Malaga / European Topic Centre – Spatial Information and Analysis

The UMA ETC/SIA is an international consortium contracted to support the European Environment Agency (EEA) in developing seamless European wide spatial reference data. ETC/SIA's main working area is the analysis of land use and land cover. This includes monitoring temporal changes of land use and land cover in addition to analyzing the environmental consequences. The consortium is leaded by the Universidad de Málaga since January 2011.
UMA ETC/SIA experience is based on a good partnership of high level experts dealing with database management, quality assurance and environmental assessments. Among other activities, the ETC/SIA provide expertise in regional assessments for rural, mountainous, urban or coastal areas and in impact analysis of structural and cohesion funds, CAP expenditures or interdependencies between biofuel production and Land use changes.
Substantial parts of UMA ETC/SIA activities are dedicated to collect, manage, analyze and display land use related spatial data. The ETC/SIA is involved in developing open source solutions to follow the Inspire directive and the European policy on SEIS fitting into a network of distributed resources and simplifying the data access for the public.
The ETC is embedded and part of the European Environmental Information and Observation Network (Eionet) and is cooperating with other European institutions like the Joint Research Centre (JRC), Eurostat (Eurostat), the different DGs of the European Commission and ESPON (European Spatial Planning Observation network).
Representatives of universities, national authorities, governmental institutions and private companies cooperate closely to provide most updated spatial information and analytical results to the European public network. Furthermore, UMA ETC/SIA are linked to regional conventions as well as international NGOs who support us in testing and implementing generated data in their specific data systems. Our partners belong to the international scientific community involved in national and international research projects.

Main international research activities

  • Coordination of the European Corine Land Cover 2000 and 2006
  • Development of a harmonized European methodology for the identification of risk areas for soil contamination.
  • Development of the spatial dimension agro-environmental indicators for IRENA
  • Leading the DG Environment Working Group on Indicator and Data to develop a set of indicators to monitor progress in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) since 2002
  • Spatial modelling and analysis in support of integrated environmental assessments and development of indicators for assessing the European State of the coast
  • Support in developing the Shared European Integrated Spatial Information Service through integration of new basic reference data into TERRIS (e.g. data set on urban morphological zones to analyze spatial changes in and around urban areas and their interaction with the surrounding land – access to recreational areas).
  • Developing the method on “Land and Ecosystem Accounting” (LEAC) together with the EEA – a method to measure land cover changes based on different inventories of the CLC (or other) database.
  • Through LEAC methodology, a number of indicators have been calculated (e.g. fragmentation of land and ecosystems, land take by urban sprawl and transport networks, pressures on protected areas, etc.).
  • ESPON ESaTDOR: European Seas and Territorial Development Opportunities and Risks (2010-2013)
  • EC FP7 Envirogrids (2009-2011)
  • EC FP7 MS.MONINA: Multi-scale Service for Monitoring NATURA 2000 Habitats of European Community Interest (2010-2013)

The project will essentially be implemented by:

  • Mr. Andreas LittkopfI studied agronomy at the Humboldt University Berlin Germany (1986), and in 2000 business administration for public bodies. Since 1990 I have been dealing with the implementation of European environmental directives on local, national and international level. In 2007 I became the manager of the consortium and therefore I am responsible for a smooth realization of projects in agreement with the EEA and a working climate free from distortion. I am also involved in several GMES activities and the initiation of further projects. So- I am in charge for the sustainability of the ETC, the good mood, regularly salary payments and when nobody likes to decide., Environmental researcher, ETC/SIA Manager
  • Ms Ana BarbosaAna Barbosa is graduated in Geography and Planning, in 2005 from University of Minho, Portugal. Then she started working as junior geographer at the Municipality of Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal (2006-2007). She was granted a fellowship to join the former UAB/ETC-LUSI in December 2007 to complete the research part of a MSc in Geographic Information System from ISEGI, New University of Lisbon, Portugal. During the stay at the ETC, she has been working on modeling of land use and she has also contributed to GIS tasks on the Hydro Systems and Reference Data projects. In January 2011, she moved to Málaga to take part of the new ETC/SIA. She deals with modelling, land use scenarios at EU as well as, data integration and EEA data users requirements activities.  For EnviroGRIDS she is responsible for the modelling land use activities, land use scenarios, also, she is collaborating to develop the Black Sea Catchment Observation System for decision-makers., GIS specialist and Environmental researcher
  • Mr. Emanuele MancosuHe holds a University degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cagliari with a graduation thesis in thematic cartography (2004) and a Master degree in “Technology of System Information” from LIGIT - Autonomous University of Barcelona (2007-2009).
    He starts his work in ETCLUSI at the beginning of 2009, giving support GIS tasks, system administration and data management activities. He is involved in EEA activities as in WA3 on upgrade ECRINS as reference layer and in the European project enviroGRIDS. Since January 2011 takes part of ETCSIA team in Malaga. For enviroGRIDS he is collaborating for the WP3.3 on Land Use scenarios and also WP 3.4 on Scenarios integration.
    , Data manager and GIS specialist
  • Mr. Alejandro SimonAlejandro holds a B.Sc. degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Salamanca (Spain) and a post-graduate diploma in Geo-Informatics from ITC (The Netherlands). He worked for the University of Lleida (Department of Geography and Sociology) from 2006 up to 2008 in projects like “Environmental atlas of Lleida, Spain” or “The Development of European Waterways, Road and Rail Infrastructures: A GIS for the History of European Integration (1825-2005) ESF Project”. At the same time, he began his PhD under the title of “Research of the relationship between the urbanization process in Europe from 1850 to 2005 and the Climate Change observed”. His main tasks were related to GIS and RS fields.  He joined the former ETC-LUSI in October 2008 and moved to Málaga in January. He primarily works on the Urban projects (ESPON and EEA) and Geoland2 (Kopernikus - GMES Land Monitoring Core Service). Since January 2011 takes part of ETCSIA team in Malaga., GIS specialist and Environmental researcher
 
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