INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES “DANUBE River – DANUBE DELTA – BLACK SEA”

1. INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES “DANUBE River – DANUBE DELTA – BLACK SEA” a Romanian initiative for an International Centre dedicated to rivers – deltas - seas

2. GENERAL OBJECTIVE • International point of excellence for fundamental and applied, integrated and multi-disciplinary researches towards the sustainable management of wetlands and river-delta-coastal areas – seas macro-systems.

3. Rationale (1) • The Centre will represent one of the most important EU Research Infrastructures in the field of Earth and Environmental Sciences, oriented towards the development of a modern and sustainable management of river- sea systems. • The Centre will offer optimal working conditions to researchers from all over the world – interested in processes which influence wetlands, deltas, lagoons and coastal ecosystems. (“Danube Delta” Natural Laboratory) • Focal Pan-European point for continous education for young researchers from the EU and other countries. • Major role in the increase of the involvement of local communities in all stages of an efficient sustainable wetlands` management (application – Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve)

4. Rationale (2) • Major role in the economic growth of the poorer delta zone through developing the knowledge based economy. • Pole of international scientific cooperation (EU and extra-EU, including strong bonds with other parts of the Black and Caspic Seas) • Estimated results – major contributions at the profound understanding of processes controlling the evolution and environmental state of rivers, deltas, coastal areas, wetlands and seas; solutions to major difificulties all managers of rivers- delta – coast areas have in maintaining the systems sustainability.

5. As a Pan-European Research Infrastructure in the field of the Environment, the Centre must: • Find solutions to the great challenges in the fields of energy, agriculture, health, food, space- security, climate changes. • Offer major impact results in: • Science: through scientific projects and publications at the best (highest) level. • Education: optimal infrastructure for MSc, PhD, post doc students and researchers. • Society: security (diminishing of natural hasards and risks) and public health (collaborations with GMES, GEOSS) • Politics and economics: sustainable use of natural resources (including water, air, energy, bio resources). • Innovation and Technology. • Monitoring: supports the requirements of environmental monitoring, as resulted from the EU directives.

6. Scientific mission • Assessing the river-delta-sea macrosystems` reference state of environment • Global climate changes and related consequences for river-delta-sea macrosystems • Ecosystem response to climate change • Effects of increasing human activities on river-delta-sea macrosystems • Changes in Societal Demand on river-delta-sea macrosystems • The mission will be transposed into reality in the “natural laboratory” offered by the Danube River – Danube Delta – Black Sea macrosystem

7. 1.Assessing the river-delta-sea macrosystems` reference state of environment 1.1. Origin and evolution, paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, stratigraphic modelling, geodynamic processes influencing the system Present-day and pre-industrial ~ 100 years ago state 1.2. Hydrology and material transports (sediments, pollutants etc.) 1.3. Ecosystems and biodiversity, habitats, trophic webs and interactions, soils, land use

8. 2. Global climate changes and related consequences for river-delta-sea macrosystems 2.1. Physical dynamics, sediment transport, erosion and morphodynamics, biogeochemical cycles 2.2. Geohazards and risk assessment: Sea level rise, waves, floods 2.3. Teleconnections and interactions of wetlands and coastal zone with other components of the Earth system 2.4. Regional climate impact modelling

9. 3. Ecosystem response to global climate change 3.1. Ecosystems and climate change: Regime shifts and ecosystem functioning, consequences for material cycles, nutrient dynamics 3.2. System vulnerability and resilience to climate change: Biodiversity, functional diversity 3.3. Ecosystem modelling

10. 4. Effects of increasing human activities on river-delta-sea macrosystems 4.1. Changes in ecosystem structure and function under human pressure 4.2. Ecosystem health and the eutrophication cascade 4.3. Impact of alien species on ecosystems 4.4. Strategies for improving ecosystem health and sustainability of the natural and man-made environment

11. 5. Changes in Societal Demand on river-delta-sea macrosystems 5.1. Natural resource assessment and valuation 5.2. Social dynamics: Past, present and future 5.3. Expected impacts of human activities and climate change on goods and services 5.4. Evaluation of development scenarios and options for sustainable management

12. Functions in Education • Intensive courses, summer schools, specialized courses, working stages for BSc, MSc and PhD students • Post-doctoral stages: short, medium and long term • Environmental education of local communities for the awareness of specific problems.

13. The creation of the Centre does NOT start from zero – it will be built on what was already existing (research partners, already existing infrastructures in the Danube Delta, along the Danube River and in the Black Sea, as well as in other countries) • The Centre should enter the ESFRI roadmap for major EU Research Infrastructures • It will be connected from the beginning with other major ESFRI projects, avoiding thus redundancies: • LIFE WATCH - Science and technology infrastructure for biodiversity data and observatories • European Plate Observing System (EPOS) - Research Infrastructure and e-Science for Data and Observatories on Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Surface Dynamics and Tectonics. • EURO-ARGO Research infrastructure for ocean science and observations • EMSO European multidisciplinary seafloor observation infrastructure

14. WHY DANUBE DELTA? • Position: interface between the Danube River (the most important river in EU - over 2 800 km long) and the Black Sea. • Unique place: • the largest delta of the European Union (~6 000 km2), • less affected by human activities, • high biodiversity ( over 30 natural and modified ecosystems). • Conservation status: • Ramsar site (1991), • Biosphere reserve, UNESCO MAB Program, • UNESCO World Heritage site.

15. WHY DANUBE DELTA? (Continuation) • International conventions: • Convention on international important wetlands, especially as habitat for waterfowl (Ramsar, 1971); • Convention on protection the wildlife and their habitats (Bern, 1979), • Convention on biological diversity (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), • Convention on protection of migratory species (Bonn, 1979), • Convention concerning the trade of endangered species (Washington, 1973), • Convention on preventing the desertification (Paris,1994).

16. Location of the International Centre “Danube-Danube Delta-Black Sea”

17. WHY MURIGHIOL? • Position: placed on the Danube River (St. George distributary, within the Danube Delta, the location was selected from other 10 proposed places). • Access facilities: by road and by the Danube River, immediate access to the Danube Delta, access to the delta coastal zone, as well as to the Danube River. • Land availability: Murighiol Local Council approved about 10 hectares area for the Centre

18. Is Murighiol to become: Headquarters of a single-sited centre? Or the hub of a distributed research infrastructure? • Questions to be answered:

19. Questions to be answered: • Working on: • Integration with existing networks • Use of e-infrastructures • Legal aspects • Data management • Access rights • Policy of personnel • Intellectual property rights • Management of the centre and continuous improvement of scientific agenda

20. GENERAL VIEW OF DANUBE DELTA IRC

21. DANUBE DELTA IRC: partial view

22. DANUBE DELTA IRC: partial view

23. …. To be continued…