European Centre of Excellence for Environmental and
Geo-ecological Studies on River – Delta – Sea Systems
in Europe:
case study River Danube – its Delta – Black Sea System
(Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania)
National Institute of Research and Development
for Marine Geology and Geo-ecology
GeoEcoMar
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Main objectives
• Continuous formation and training of young scientists
for improving the scientific level of the Romanian R&D
units;
• Enhanced East - West scientific co-operation by
networking and improving mobility schemes ;
• Enhanced long-term co-operative research and
monitoring of the River Danube-its Delta-Black Sea
system using jointly the local and international human
and logistic resources (a “matrix” and “catalyst” of the
two previous objectives) .
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part I: Continuous training of young scientists
WP.1 - Specialised courses (duration two weeks yearly)
Course 1 "Hydrological, sedimentological, biogeochemical processes
in fluvial, deltaic and coastal marine environments" (Year 1,
Month 8)
(a) Coastal marine processes of water and sediment dynamics, erosionaccumulation equilibrium, schemes for coastal zone protection
(b) Delta hydrology and sedimentary processes, river-sea contact zone
processes and water and sediment dynamics
(c) River hydrology, sediment transport, scouring, changes in
morphology, sedimentation, navigation improvement etc.
Course 2 " Biogeochemistry of water and sediments in rivers, deltas
and coastal seas, the quality of water and sediments" (Year 2,
Month 22)
Course 3 "Ecosystem structure and functioning" (Year 3, Month 32)
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part I: Continuous training of young scientists
•
WP.2 - Summer schools (10 days yearly)
Year 1 – Month 9; Year 2 – Month 21; Year 3 – Month 33
Topics to be covered:
Environmental complex studies, geo-ecology of the River Danube, its Delta
and the coastal Black Sea;
Genesis and evolution of the Danube, of the Delta and of the Black Sea;
Structure and functioning of the characteristic ecosystems in the region;
Environmental changes impact on aquatic and sedimentary systems;
Major pollution issues impacting the environmental state of the region, the
water resources and supply;
Cost-effective solutions to protect and rehabilitate the river, delta and
coastal sea environments;
Sustainable management of living and mineral resources within the
Danube-Black Sea system.
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part I: Continuous training of young scientists
• WP.3 - Junior scientists visitors (two young scientists/one month
each yearly)
Task 3.1: Two young scientists from Euro-EcoGeoCentre will have one month
training at IFREMER and Hamburg University for specialised analyses of
samples collected during the first River Danube cruise and using new
methodologies and analytical equipment (Year 1 – Month 9).
Task 3.2: Two young scientists will take part in the study of Black Sea and
Danube Delta samples at the Institute of Environment and Sustainability of
JRC in Ispra (Year 2 – Month 21).
Task 3.3: Two young scientists will participate for a one month period in
processing and interpretation of the results of the three year research
programme of the Euro-EcoGeoCentre at IFREMER (Year 3 – Month 33).
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part I: Continuous training of young scientists
• WP.4 – Two Ph.D. thesis with double
supervision
In the first two years the PhD students will spend two
months/year at the partner university.
In the last third year the PhD students will have two
times two months stays – one for finishing the thesis
research and the second for preparing the public
presentation of the thesis
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part I: Continuous training of young scientists
• WP.5 – Workshops
(Duration 3 days/workshop - 18 participants, of which 8 from abroad)
Task 5. 1.: Workshop 1 – "New ideas for an integrated observing and
forecasting system in the Lower Danube River, Danube Delta and NW
Black Sea“ (Year 1 – Month 7)
Task 5. 2.: Workshop 2 – " Present-day environmental problems of the Lower
Danube River, including Danube Delta" (Year 1 – M 12)
Task 5. 3.: Workshop 3 – "Environmental disequilibria in the NW Black Sea
coastal system: causes, consequences, correctives" (Year 2 – M 21)
Task 5. 4.: Workshop 4 – "Changes in the structure and functioning of the
open sea ecosystems" (Year 3 – M 33)
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part I: Continuous training of young scientists
• WP.6 - Symposia, conferences
(35 participants, of which 15 from abroad)
Task 6. 1. Symposium 1: "Abnormal influxes into the European Seas,
particularly BAB Seas (Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas) – causes,
consequences, correctives" (Year 1, month 10 - 3 days)
Task 6. 2. Symposium 2: "Reciprocal connections between subsystems along
the contour interfaces in semi-enclosed European Seas – a review of the
diversity and variability of terrestrial - aquatic, atmosphere - sea and
water mass-seabed interactions” (Year 2, month 22 – 3 days)
Task 6. 3. Symposium 3: "Sequential/differential approach for the holistic
knowledge of the coastal zone – fundamentals of sustainable
management" (Year 3, month 34 – 3 days)
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part I: Continuous training of young scientists
• WP. 7 – Establishing of dedicated web site for a
virtual school and dissemination of the Centre's
results
Electronic publishing of general and specific information about the
project and about the Centre and its facilities;
Electronic publishing of information about the current progress and
agenda of the project;
Electronic publishing of all written materials of courses and
seminars;
Gathering and structuring in a database of all the scientific data
acquired during the project; publishing this information on the
project web site;
Publishing on the project web site of the suitable deliverables and the
corresponding scientific papers.
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part II: Enhanced scientific cooperation by networking
• WP.8 – Co-ordination - Steering Committee meetings
Management of scientific, teaching and networking activities
of European-EcoGeoCentre;
Management and control of the administration and financial
state of the Centre;
Upgrading the development strategy of the Centre.
Time schedule:
Year 1: Meeting 1 - month 1, 3 days; Meeting 2 - month 12, 3 days;
Year 2: Meeting 3 - month 21, 3 days;
Year 3: Meeting 4 - month 30, 3 days; Meeting 5 - month 36, 3 days.
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part II: Enhanced scientific cooperation by networking
• WP.9 – Participation in cruises on the Danube, in the
Danube delta and on the Black Sea
Task 9.1 – The participation of high-level scientists from the cooperating West-European institutes in cruises on the River
Danube, within the Danube Delta and on the Black Sea as
co-chiefs of the cruises
Objectives:
To enhance the co-operation among Romanian and West-European partners;
To develop closer networking through direct participation of high-level
professionals from the West-European co-operating institutes in field
research organised by the European EcoGeoCentre;
To facilitate the transfer of know-how from the western scientists to young
Romanian researchers.
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part II: Enhanced scientific cooperation by networking
• WP.10 – Participation in laboratory work
Task 9.1 - The participation of high level scientists from the cooperating West-European institutes in laboratory work on
samples and records obtained within the cruises on the
River Danube, in the Danube Delta and on the Black Sea.
Objectives:
To enhance the co-operation among Romanian and West-European partners;
To develop closer networking through the direct participation of high-level
professionals from the West-European co-operating institutes in
laboratory work on collected samples and recorded profiles during the
field works carried out through the Centre;
To facilitate the transfer of know-how from western scientists to young
Romanian researchers.
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part II: Enhanced scientific cooperation by networking
• WP.11 - Participation in processing and
interpretation of data; publication of results.
Task 11.1 – The participation of high-level scientists from the cooperating West-European institutes in data processing and
interpretation, structuring and validating a complex data-base and
a project GIS, as well as predicting the evolution of the Danube-its
delta-Black Sea system.
Objectives:
To enhance the co-operation between Romanian and West-European partners;
To develop closer networking through the direct participation of high-level
professionals from the West-European co-operating institutes in data
processing and interpretation at Euro-EcoGeoCentre as well as at the
other participating institutes;
To facilitate the transfer of know-how from western scientists to young
Romanian researchers.
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part III: Long term co-operative research and monitoring
of the River Danube – Danube Delta – Black Sea system
• WP.III/1 - Process studies (hydrology, sedimentology,
biogeochemistry etc.), water and sediments quality,
structure and functioning of ecosystems within the
Danube - its delta - Black Sea system
Not financed through the Centre of Excellence
Objectives:
Scientific cruises on the River Danube, in the Danube Delta and on the Black
Sea for sampling water, sediments and biota, in-situ measurements of
different physical-chemical parameters, bathymetric, hydrologic and geoenvironmental studies (side-scan, acoustic and seismo-acoustic profiling,
geomagnetics, etc.) ;
Laboratory analyses of samples collected during the cruises
Processing and interpretation of the data obtained
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part III: Long term co-operative research and monitoring
of the River Danube – Danube Delta – Black Sea system
• WP.III/2 - Global and sea level changes and their
influence on the ecological state and socio-economic
development of the region; anthropogenic changes
and their role in the ecosystems functioning
Not financed through the Centre of Excellence
Objectives:
Task A: Geophysical, geological and biological studies of continental,
shallow and deep-water depocenters for evidencing global
changes in sedimentary records.
Task B: Identification and quantification of the main categories of
physical-chemical and biological disturbances of the regional
aquatic ecosystems, as a consequence of anthropogenic socioeconomic activities.
Euro-EcoGeoCentre - Romania
Part III: Long term co-operative research and monitoring
of the River Danube – Danube Delta – Black Sea system
• WP.III/3 – Data-base, GIS and predicting the
trends of environmental evolution of the
region; studies on the sustainable management
of the mineral and living resources
Not financed through the Centre of Excellence
Objectives:
Task A - To create a complex database for the River Danube - Danube
Delta - Black Sea system.
Task B - To establish a project GIS which will be able to generate
thematic maps as needed and will be updated throughout the
project.