1. Development and improvement of investigation methods (active and passive remote sensing, laser induced fluorescence, in situ and laboratory) dedicated to environmental assessment (water, soil, air)

  • Completion of laboratory, in situ and remote sensing instrumentation in order to:
    • increase the quantity of the datasets by:
      • implementation of new equipments with unattended, all weather operation (ceilometer, wind lidar) which offer continuously primary information and also can be used to trigger complex systems (e.g. multiwavelength lidars)
      • set up of calibration capabilities to reduce the costs and shorten the time with no data
      • automating as much as possible data collection, processing and delivery
    • increase the quality of the datasets by:
      • adding modules/instruments to retrieve more parameters
      • implementing new testing / quality checks modules and procedures
    • ensure a safer and quasi-autonomous operation by:
      • implementing radar detection of low clouds and airplanes to shut down non eye-safe lidars
      • implementing remote operation and control for several equipments
  • Widening the area of possible applications, by:
    • purchasing / adjusting instruments for flight operation
    • complementing meteorological sensors and instruments
    • purchasing equipments for laboratory/in situ chemical analysis
    • purchasing/developing dispersion models and satellite image analysis software

2. Experimental and theoretical research for the physical, chemical and optical characterization of environmental components and parameters;

  • Air quality - We measure continuously suspended particles and gaseous compounds at ground in Magurele, but also at other locations, during field campaigns: Timisoara, Surlari, Bucuresti-Floreasca, Rovinari. Complex measurements and analysis have been performed on concentration, chemical composition, size distribution and seasonal behavior of aerosols, O3, SO2, NOX, CO and organic compounds, by use of optical counters, gas analyzers, DOAS, AMS, nephelometer. The influence of planetary boundary layer height (from lidar), humidity (from weather station and microwave radiometer), and wind (from weather station and sodar) has been studied. Measured data are compared with forecasted data, by use of the regional model MAP3D, to investigate the contribution of distributed pollution sources to the overall air pollution level.
  • Climatology of short-lived atmospheric species - Profiles and temporal dynamics of the optical and microphysical properties of tropospheric aerosols (volcanic ash, Saharan dust, biomass burning, urban), ozone and SO2 are measured and analyzed to identify their short-term impact on climate. For this, we use multiwavelength depolarization Raman lidars, Differential Absorption lidars, sunphotometry, backtrajectory analysis (HYSPLIT, FLEXPART), satellite imagery (EUMETCAST), UV and IR imaging cameras, validated at ground level by comparison with in situ instruments. Meteorological profiles from microwave radiometer and sodar are used as inputs for data processing and interpretation. Inversion and correlation algorithms have been developed and implemented. Instruments and algorithms have been tested and validated by direct inter-comparisons or checkup tools, together with our international partners. Processed data are submitted to international climatological databases (EARLINET, AERONET, MWRNET).
  • Water quality - Laboratory and in situ techniques (laser induced fluorescence) are used for the detection of biological contaminants in surface waters. By sampling or by direct sounding (fluorescence lidar), we measure chlorophyll, dissolved organic matter, oil spills in rivers and other organic and inorganic contaminants in rivers, lakes and Black Sea. Specific algorithms and methods were elaborated to characterize, evaluate and bio-monitor the hydrographical basins affected by human activities.