FP6: RRP-CMEP

Full project title: Reinforcement of  the Research Potential in Center for Meteorology and Environmental Predictions
Start date:  1.1.2007.
End date: 31.8.2009.
Contractor: European Commission
Project leader: prof. dr Dragutin T Mihailovic, head of CMEP
Project home page: http://cmep-serbia.if.ns.ac.yu/rrp-cmep/rrp-cmep.html
Project status: Finished
Project description:
 
    Center for Meteorology and Environmental Predictions (CMEP) at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, represents qualified and very promising research capacity focused on environmental predictions with special emphases on numerical weather prediction, agricultural forecasts, UV index forecast and monitoring and prediction of air pollution. The programme planned to be realized through RRP-CMEP project forms coherent set of coordination, dissemination and education actions directly aimed to improve CMEP’s capacities on RTD in basic sciences and environmental predictions related to environmental protection aspects. The activities of CMEP are aimed to achieve sustainable development and consistent environmental policy in Serbia, already recognized and widely elaborated with EU and which has an ultimate character in WBC. Objectives of the proposed project are to use environmentally oriented numerical models, software and the modeling systems to predict basic tendencies in environment, to promote the collaboration with EU research institutions, to create opportunity for exchange of scientific personnel, and the training of young scientists, to hire new young researchers to reinforce the human potential, to upgrade and renew S&T equipment in order to reinforce internal scientific capacities and open possibility to form regional network and to integrate in the European research area (ERA). Improving and reinforcing of RTD capacities through this project enables the establishment of a strong, well-equipped and internationally recognized research center, an appropriate partner in ERA both in fundamental and applied researches and future activities within FP6 and FP7.

FP6: ADAGIO

Full project title: ADAptation of aGriculture in European regIOns at environmental risk under climate change
Start date: 1.1.2007
End date: 31.5.2009.
Contractor: European Commission
Main project coordinator: prof. dr Josef Eitzinger, Institute of Meteorology, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Austria 
Project coordinator for Serbian Crew: prof. dr Dragutin T Mihailovic, head of CMEP
Project home page: http://www.adagio-eu.org/
Project status: Finished
Project description:

    Compared to the manifold potential impacts of climate change on agroecosystems, potential adaptation measures are even more complex because of the high number of options available through the human factor. New policies must therefore be adopted under climate change conditions considering all potential and realistic adaptation measures especially on the regional and farm level to secure sustainability of agricultural crop production. Despite of the recognised relevance of climate risk assessments for agroecosystems, they have been not noticeable applied for supporting adaptation within agricultural decision-making within Europe, neither worldwide, because of its uncertainty and lack of knowledge by decision-makers. On the other hand, the European research funds concerning agricultural climate-change impact assessments have been addressed mainly to theoretical issues rather than to research-results applications. According to the above statement, this SSA will analyse and evaluate potential and actual adaptation measures in agriculture for different climatic and agroecosystem regions under risk in Europe. The various questions as formulated under Task 18 of this SSP call will be investigated at the scientific level as well as at the farm level by the partners in selected vulnerable regions. The SSA will consider not only future scenarios and results based on modelling tools, but also already visible (or known) ongoing changes and adaptation measures for a better and realistic assessment of potential future adaptation measures at the regional level. Furthermore, probably changes in the European policies as the CAP or the WFD will be taken in account as well, since final decisions of farmers would be based on several issues additionally to climate risks. The SSA should establish a continuous interacting information and discussion network, connecting the research level with decision makers and support a holistic approach to solve the related problems.
 

 
SERBIAN–FRENCH TECHNOLOGY CO-OPERATION FOR YEARS 2008-2009 „Pavle Savić“ programme

Full project title: Coupling STICS -LAPS models to improve the representation of crop processes and land-atmosphere interactions
Start date: 1.1.2008.
End date: 31.12.2009.
Contractor: Serbian and French Government
Project status: In progress
Project description:

    Crop production is the primary agricultural sector, which is affected by climate change. Therefore all related impact models could be used for decision support in agriculture. Complexity of models indicated can be ranged from sophisticated crop models to more simple approaches such as irrigation scheduling models or drought risk assessment algorithms. Numerous crop growth models have been developed in the last two decades. Among them, STICS was developed by the INRA team and used by many users from the patch scale to the regional or the country scale to estimate crop production and water needs and losses. It presents the advantage to be able to take into account differences between patches (effect of agricultural practices and soil) and between years, for multiple pedoclimatic conditions. For their operating, crop models can use for weather input data from (1) the short term weather forecast, (2) the seasonal forecast and (3) General Circulation Models (GCMs) or climate scenarios in order to estimate potential or actual growth, development or yield. The GCMs provide credible information of climate, at least for sub-continental scales while the Regional General Circulation Models (RegGCMs) are used to determine specific characteristics of the weather in mesoscale. Regardless of whether these models provide meteorological data through either long-term or short-term runs, the land surface scheme is a remarkable link between the underlying surface and atmosphere. Moreover, land air parameterisation scheme can provide highly sophisticated parameterisation of physical processes strongly affecting transfer of heat, water vapour and pollution between plant and its environment. Among these last models, the LAPS model, developed by prof. Dragutin Mihailovic and collaborators from Faculty of Agriculture at University of Novi Sad, (Serbia). The main objective of this project is to analyze different coupling possibilities between LAPS and STICS in order to access to a better description of the crop functioning, improving also our knowledge of the feedback between surface and atmosphere. In the context of the global change, it is particularly important to predict future scenarios of evolution of crop or technical practices and to quantify the impact of these modifications on climate and on yields. 

MODERATO

 
Full project title: Risk assessMent for crOp and fruit Damages and yiEld loss induced by non-ionizing Radiation And planT diseases as a cOnsquence of the climate change in Central and Southern Europe
Start date: ?
End date: ?
Project leader (tentative): prof. dr Dragutin T Mihailovic , head of CMEP
Project home page: in preparation
Project status: in preparation
Project description:

    The plant (crop and fruit) damages and yield loss can be strongly induced by non-ionizing (UV) radiation and plant diseases as a consequence of the climate changes. Interaction of the UV radiation with plant can also provide conditions for development of plant diseases rapidly increasing the risk of serious damages in orchards and fields. That risk can be estimated on the basis outputs obtained by running climate model, regional model, UV radiation model, model for forecasting the occurrence of plant diseases and  crop model. This assessment is particularly important for the Central and Southern Europe potentially the most vulnerable region in the Europe regarding to climate change.
    More information about the MODERATO project can be found here .