BrainMap

Mr. Marius-Victor Birsan

Dr.

Senior researcher - INSTITUTUL DE GEOGRAFIE

Researcher

Web of Science ResearcherID: https://publons.com/researcher/2808301/marius-victor-birsan/

Expertise & keywords

Enhancing the performance and reliability of national weather warning systems by use of deep learning techniques applied on radar, satellite and ground meteorological observations Call name: EEA Grants - Proiecte Colaborative de Cercetare
RO-NO-2019-0133 2020 - 2023

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI (RO); ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA (RO); Norwegian Meteorological Institute (Meteorologisk institutt) (NO)

Affiliation: ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA (RO)

Project website: https://weamyl.met.no/

Abstract:

The thematic area of the project proposal is ICT with focus on deep learning methods applied to weather nowcasting. The project topic is of national and international interest, representing a major pursuit at an international level. The project is highly trans-disciplinary and is aimed to bring together the expertise from three research and application domains: the domain of intelligent systems and methods, the field of software development and engineering and the operational and research in the field of meteorology. The WeaMyL project is sustained by a multidisciplinary consortium with interests and valuable scientific results on the project topic, formed by a Romanian team in Machine Learning (ML), a Romanian team in research and operational meteorology and two teams from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute one having expertise in meteorological research and the other in software development. Through the joint research proposal, we aim to increase research cooperation and technology transfer between Romania and Norway, as well as to support and contribute to developing the research careers of the young researchers from the Consortium by providing them an environment that fosters high quality scientific research and development. In addition, through the collaboration proposed in the current project we focus on enhancing the performance of Romanian research and increase its international visibility. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) states that “weather, and especially severe weather, is responsible for many natural disasters that cause damage and loss of life”. As the number and intensity of severe weather events is increasing in many regions of the world, the problem of forecasting such phenomena and issuing early warnings is one of the hottest topics in meteorology today. The division of weather prediction dealing with weather analysis and forecast for the next 0 to 6 hours is called nowcasting and plays an increasing role in crisis management and risk prevention. Meteorological institutes hold a large set of historical data, such as radar measurements, satellite and weather stations’ observations, all accessible to be consumed. Following the guidelines of the WMO’s Task Team on the Development of Guidelines on Nowcasting Techniques, our major goal is to provide an efficient, seamless nowcasting platform which will be integrated with national warning systems and which will employ multiple meteorological data sources including radar, satellite and weather stations’ observations to provide automated weather nowcasting. The WeaMyL solution will integrate deep learning methods for precise nowcasting and Big Data approaches for managing large amounts of meteorological data. The problem of issuing a nowcasting warning can be very difficult for meteorologists, since there is often an extremely large set of real-time and historical information which has to be analyzed and the constraints imposed on a desirable solution are complex and not exactly known. Therefore, ML based methods are necessary for obtaining effective solutions for the nowcasting problem. They are useful for extracting accurate and meaningful insights from the large amount of weather data and to improve decision-making for high-impact weather. Beside the forecasting component, WeaMyL will include an Annotated Atlas of Meteorological Observations, a semantic database of meteorological data, aimed to facilitate intelligent information retrieval and data analysis. The Annotated Atlas will be useful for research purposes as well as to support meteorologists in evaluating past meteorological conditions using statistical and comparative analyses. The main result of the project will be WeaMyL, a new open-source software platform with a more general and complex target than existing solutions for weather nowcasting. The direct beneficiaries of WeaMyL are National Meteorological Institutes, with the public at large being the most important (indirect) beneficiary.

Developing resilience and tolerance of crop resource use efficiency to climate change and air pollution Call name: P 3 - SP 3.2 - Proiecte ERA.NET - COFUND
COFUND-SUSCROP-SUSCAP-2 2019 - 2022

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA

Project partners: ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA (RO); University of York (GB); Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research (NO); Directorate Sustainable Resources, Unit D.5 (Food Security) (IT); University of Bonn INRES Crop Science (DE); Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria (IT); The Center for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (ES)

Affiliation: ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA (RO)

Project website: http://suscap.meteoromania.ro

Abstract:

It is well known that climate change will impact arable crop production across Europe in the coming decades. We also know that air pollution is already having substantial impacts on crop productivity causing yield losses of between 10 and 15% on average across Europe for sensitive staple crops such as wheat. What is unclear is how these stresses will combine to impact crop growth, development and yield through influences on important crop resource use efficiencies such as radiation, water, and nutrient use.

Within this project, we will develop a new generation of process-based crop models to better understand the mechanisms, and hence impacts, of these multiple stresses both for the current day and future 2050 climates. This will allow us to identify the magnitude, frequency and geographical distribution of the combined stresses most likely to limit resource use efficiency and hence crop productivity. This will be important since, in spite of international efforts to reduce emissions, poor air quality in Europe is currently set to continue to substantially impact crop yields until at least 2050 and GHG emissions are still on course to see large changes in climate over the coming decades.

The project will build on existing initiatives to develop modeling approaches; and will conduct this research in close dialogue with policy and sector stakeholders that are partners of our consortium of eight world-leading expert groups skilled in climate change and air pollution in relation to experimental and crop modeling. Ultimately, this project will target an increase in the sustainability of agriculture across Europe and a reduction in the threats to crop resource use efficiency from both current and future climate change and air pollution stress.

Developing resilience and tolerance of crop resource use efficiency to climate change and air pollution. Call name: P 3 - SP 3.2 - Proiecte ERA.NET - COFUND
COFUND-SUSCROP-SUSCAP-1 2019 - 2022

Role in this project: Key expert

Coordinating institution: Academia Fortelor Aeriene "Henri Coanda" Brasov

Project partners: Academia Fortelor Aeriene "Henri Coanda" Brasov (RO); Stockholm Environment Institute (GB); Center for International Climate Research (NO); JRC Directorate Sustainable Resources, (IT); University of Bonn INRES Crop Science (DE); Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria (IT); CIEMAT - Environmental Department (ES)

Affiliation:

Project website: https://suscap.pubpub.org

Abstract:

Improving Drought and Flood Early Warning, Forecasting and Mitigation using real-time hydroclimatic indicators Call name: P 3 - SP 3.2 - Proiecte ERA.NET - COFUND
WaterWaterks 2014 Cofund-202- IMDROFLOOD 2016 - 2019

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA

Project partners: ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA (RO)

Affiliation: ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA (RO)

Project website: http://imdroflood.meteoromania.ro/

Abstract:

Strengthen drought and flood forecasting and early warning is essential to improve adaptation to climate change. IMDROFLOOD plans different actions to improve the mitigation of the impact of droughts and floods at the catchment level. All these actions will be implemented in different catchments of Europe and South Africa, covering contrasted environmental conditions and specific problematic. IMDROFLOOD will make use of currently available information sources on meteorological, hydrological and remote sensing data to generate new information relevant for flood and drought risk management. New monitoring networks will be tested for the generation of more suitable and operative drought indices and the role of ecosystems and vegetation communities in the mitigation of the impact of floods and droughts will be assessed, while probabilistic forecasting systems will be developed, integrating all these tools to implement a powerful Early Warning System. IMDROFLOOD adapts to different research priorities, developing innovative tools, including nature-based solutions and using different sensor technologies monitoring networks with the purpose of mitigating the impact of extreme events. IMDROFLOOD will obtain drought indices for different sectors useful for drought monitoring and early warning and will integrate short and medium term meteorological predictions with eco-hydrological rainfall/runoff models and numerical simulations for better flood prediction. IMDROFLOOD will also assess the role of vegetation communities and ecosystems on drought and flood impacts and it will develop drought vulnerability curves for natural ecosystems. These tasks will allow designing efficient drought and flood early warning and forecasting systems and produce information for helping in planning for risk management at the catchment scale. IMDROFLOOD is organized in eight Work Packages and it uses a trans-disciplinary approach that includes innovative in-depth studies that combine drought and flood analyses from local to river basin levels. Besides, the projects aims at putting this knowledge into work and will develop information tools based on server-side technologies that are basic for a sound management of flood and drought risk, and will do this in close collaboration with the stakeholders and end-users to ensure an adequate uptake of the new products developed.

Evaluating the adaptive genetic potential of the main forest coniferous species for a sustainable forest management in the context of climate change Call name: Joint Applied Research Projects - PCCA 2013 - call
PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-0695 2014 - 2017

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL NAŢIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE ÎN SILVICULTURĂ "MARIN DRĂCEA"

Project partners: INSTITUTUL NAŢIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE ÎN SILVICULTURĂ "MARIN DRĂCEA" (RO); REGIA NATIONALA A PADURILOR ROMSILVA RA (RO); UNIVERSITATEA TRANSILVANIA BRASOV (RO); ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA (RO)

Affiliation: ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA (RO)

Project website: http://genetica.icas.ro/

Abstract:

Researches in recent decades have revealed a clear change in global climate, which cannot remain without effects on forest ecosystems. Although there is a high degree of uncertainty regarding these influences it is still widely accepted that mountain ecosystems will be the most vulnerable to climate change. The real potential for adaptation depends upon the existence of a wide genetic diversity in trees populations, upon the adaptive genetic variation - respectively. Genetic diversity offers the guarantee that forest species can survive, can adapt and evolve under the influence of changing environmental conditions. Therefore, the project goal is to evaluate the adaptive genetic potential of the Norway spruce, Silver fir and Scots pine, the most economically and ecologically important forest species in Romania, in the context of climate change. Project will provide scientific results and technical recommendations for optimizing the forest management in view of the sustainable utilization of forest ecosystems.

Reducing urban heat island effects for improved urban comfort and energy consumption balance in Bucharest Call name: Joint Applied Research Projects - PCCA 2013 - call
PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-0509 2014 - 2017

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA DE ARHITECTURA SI URBANISM "ION MINCU"

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA DE ARHITECTURA SI URBANISM "ION MINCU" (RO); ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA (RO); NEMETSCHEK ROMANIA SALES & SUPPORT SRL (RO); ESOLUTIONS GRUP S.R.L. (RO); UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI (RO)

Affiliation: ADMINISTRATIA NATIONALA DE METEOROLOGIE RA (RO)

Project website: http://www.uauim.ro/cercetare/redbhi/

Abstract:

Urban settlements cause complex and significant perturbations in the regional climate as a result of an overlap of anthropic factors and natural climate, by generating the Urban Heat Islands which cause tragedies and damage to property. Relatively recent events ended in more than 38,000 victims in West European countries and the East Coast of the USA (August 2003). We are considering climatic hazards related to thermal extremes, with significant occurrence in Romania as well, especially in large urban agglomerations (Bucharest Municipality), mainly over the last decade. The building vulnerability is expressed in terms of transfer function between the climatic conditions and the inhabited indoor environment. High building vulnerability leads to an increase in the intensity of climatic hazards due to the anthropogenic component, as a result of installation of air conditioning equipment and systems in the buildings. This is the typical kind of acceleration of environmental disorder, namely of increase in the environmental entropy. The first major target of the project is the methodology for forecasting climate and energy risks correlated with the intensity of the urban heat island of the Bucharest Municipality (UHI), using representative experimental climatic zones. The selection of the climatic zones will be performed by means of satellite teledetection and by determination of air and land surface temperatures in various areas of the city (mobile laboratories and stationary sensors). Multicriteria correlations between UHI and the architectural and urban solutions parameters (climatic hazard function) are determined according to the characteristics of the urban solutions (street geometry, green areas, characteristics of buildings – optical, thermal etc.). Adjusted climate predictions are developed based on the UHI intensity, determined by using the climatic hazard function. The probable value of the climate risk, as well as the energy risk are assessed for the reference buildings from the experimental climatic zones, based on the adjusted climate predictions, in case of exceeding the peak demand of the electricity supply network. The risk forecast is developed using the GIS platform, which includes the GIS-R module (for climate risk) and the GIS-Energ module (for the energy risk), and this is the first major practical outcome of the project. An impact analysis of the technical solutions for sustainable urban improvement will be performed using the GIS platform, followed by development of scenarios (urban planning and buildings) specific to the experimental climatic zone characterised by major climate risk. A Compendium of technical solutions for UHI effect mitigation and sustainable reconfiguration of urban settlements and a comparative analysis with the state of the art from the climate risk perspective will represent the second major outcome of the project. The solutions aim both at the buildings and at the planning of the existing urban space. The methodology proposed by the project may be multiplied at the level of any urban settlement affected (or potentially affected) by climate and energy risks during the summer. A system for sending/receiving the weather alert and for sending the climate and energy risk alert to the public authorities will be in place by means of developing a Virtual Studio for the management of climate risk situations and modelling technical solutions to reduce the effects of the urban heat island. This product is the third major outcome of the project. The pilot applicative support is a District City Hall (a beneficiary of the climate alert by means of using a terminal connected to the Virtual Studio). The studio will also have a training and dissemination function due to its role as a laboratory used for the advanced courses provided by the Doctoral School of UAUIM, with the purpose to reduce the urban heat island effects and to contribute to sustainable urban design.

Changes in Climate Extremes and Associated Impact in Hydrological Events in Romania Call name: Complex Exploratory Research Projects - PCCE-2011 call
PN-II-ID-PCCE-2011-2-0073 2012 - 2016

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: Administraţia Naţională de Meteorologie

Project partners: Administraţia Naţională de Meteorologie (RO); Institutul Naţional de Hidrologie şi Gospodărirea Apelor (RO); Universitatea din Bucureşti, Facultatea de Fizică (RO)

Affiliation: Administraţia Naţională de Meteorologie (RO)

Project website: http://climhydex.meteoromania.ro

Abstract:

CLIMHYDEX will improve our knowledge in understanding of complex mechanisms controlling the variability of the most important climate extremes and associated hydrological events in Romania at various time scales, through a comprehensive approach using advanced modelling techniques, a wide range of indices describing the climate extremes and high resolution data set. New high quality and high resolution climate data will be for the first time produced by integrating observed data from in-situ network with satellite and radar products using state-of- the- art tools. CLIMHYDEX will address the major challenge in managing the climate change impact on hydrological extremes on basin scale by improving our knowledge of processes on small scale and subbasins, to find solutions for their quantification on one hand and to test the capacity of the hydrological models to represent the dominant processes in streamflow on the other hand. This is a new contribution in the CLIMHYDEX project, bringing results of experiments at small scale of representative basin to improve modelling and description of hydrological extreme indices and to provide adaptation measures. Uncertainty associated to changes in climate extremes in Romanian for two future periods (2021-2050, 2071-2100) will be for the first time addressed in this project by projection of climate change scenarios under various IPCC emission scenarios derived from various state-of-the-art available global climate models (GCMs), using 4 types of statistical downscaling models (SDMs) developed in this project, combined with the values obtained directly from various regional climate models (RCMs). The uncertainties related to emission scenario, GCMs driving SDMs /RCMs as well as downscaling technique will be presented for the first time. The ENSEMBLES GCMs/RCMs will be used within the project. At catchment scale, a novelty in this project refers to developing a conditional stochastic model on hourly time step.

FILE DESCRIPTION	DOCUMENT
List of research grants as project coordinator
List of research grants as partner team leader
List of research grants as project coordinator or partner team leader
Significant R&D projects for enterprises, as project manager
R&D activities in enterprises
Peer-review activity for international programs/projects