Projects and Programs

ACCENT–Plus – Atmospheric Composition Change the European NeTwork-Plus

ACCENT-Plus is a “Network of Excellence” of the VII Framework Program (FP7) of the EU, whose purpose is to coordinate and integrate European research as regards to changes in the atmosphere. It wants to answer this question: “How can Europe control its atmospheric composition in a changing climate?”.

I-AMICA, by transferring the results of the researches carried out in the four observation points and in other CNR monitoring stations to politicians and citizens, will contribute to the ACCENT-Plus results.

http://www.accent-network.org/

 

ACTRIS – Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research Infrastructure Network

ACTRIS is a European project, which is financed by FP7 “Research Infrastructures for Atmospheric Research”, whose purpose is to integrate 28 European sites equipped for advanced measures of aerosols, clouds, and trace gases, so that to have a long-term and  high quality data set as far as climate and air quality are concerned, by following standardized processes.

The strengthened “profiling” CNR stations and the I-AMICA University (Lecce and Naples) and the new ones (Lamezia Terme) are part of the ACTRIS Network.

http://www.actris.net/

 

CESAPO – Contribution of Emission Sources on the Air quality of the POrt-cities in Greece and Italy

CESAPO is an INTERREG project (Italy – Greece 2007/2013) whose purpose is to define, starting from the study of Brindisi and Patrasso ports, the contribution of the different emission sources which have an impact on atmospheric pollution, so that to suggest actions for the urban sustainable development in the Mediterranean.

Inside I-AMICA, the development of application linked to the study of air quality, characterization and long-range transportation in Salento, thanks to the upgrading of the CNR site in Lecce, will allow a strict cooperation with CESAPO.

http://www.cesapo.upatras.gr

 

CLAM-PHYM – Coasts and Lake Assessment and Monitoring by PRISMA HYperspectral Mission

It’s a project of the Italian Space agency (2011-2015) whose purpose is to define algorithms to analyze optically complex waters (lakes and maritime-coastal areas) thanks to the use of hyper-spectral images acquired by the PRISMA sensor (Hyperspectral PRecursor of Applicative Mission).

The analysis of the areas suggested by I-AMICA allows extending the application field of the ASI-PRISMA mission to these coastal areas, inside the CLAM-PHYM project.

 

EARLINETEuropean Aerosol Research Lidar Network

It is a European observation network coordinated by CNR and born in 2000 inside the UE FP5 and which also developed as a research infrastructure inside UE FP6. EARLINET is the first LiDAR network stations to study the vertical distribution of aerosols for the whole continent. It is currently made up of 27 lidar stations, five of them are in Italy.

Profiling CNR sites and the University, strengthened inside the I-AMICA project, are part of the EARLINET nretwork.

http://www.earlinet.org/

 

FLUXNET – network of regional networks

It is a “Network of Regional Networks” which coordinates analysis of observations coming from sites which are equipped with towers for the fluxes (CO2, vapor and energy) exchanged among ecosystems on earth and the atmosphere. FLUXNET keeps a database with information on the location of the towers and site characteristics, in addition to data type and availability.

I-AMICA CNR Monti della Sila – Bacino del Bonis ed Eboli – Borgo Cioffi sites are part of FluxNet. Other sites which will be developed in I-AMICA, like Capodimonte and Murge Parks, will use, for CO2 and H2O exchanges, shared methods and approaches with FluxNet.

http://www.fluxnet.ornl.gov

 

GAW – Global Atmosphere Watch

GAW is a Meteorology World Organization program, started in 1989, with 80 nations, and which gathers and supply data and information on the chemical composition of the atmosphere and its changes due to natural phenomena and anthropic activities, helping improve interactions among atmosphere, oceans and biosphere. GAW supports a world network of stations chosen for the testing of greenhouse effect gas, ozone, UV radiations, aerosols, reactive gases and precipitation chemistry. The network includes 30 global and 600 regional stations. Relevant chemical aspects of the GAW program flow into the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).

The I-AMICA CNR stations in Lecce, Lamezia Terme, Monte Curcio (Longobucco) and Marettimo, which measure atmospheric components will refer to the GAW network integrating its contents and data. This will allow GAW-WMO having regional reference stations in Southern Italy and Central Mediterranean.

http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/gaw/gaw_home_en.html

 

GCOS – Global Climate Observing System

It is a joint program of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Oceanographic  Intergovernmental Commission (COI), United Nations for education, science and culture (UNESCO), United Nations for environment (UNEP) and the International Council for Sciences (ICSU ). It is the world observing system dedicated to data supplied and the information on which decision regarding climate are made.

I-AMICA, by strengthening the observation ability for climate variables, will support GCOS.

http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/gcos/

 

GEO-GEOSS - Global Earth Observation System of Systems

GEO – Global Earth Observations Program voluntarily gathers 87 representatives of Member Countries, European Commission and 64 intergovernmental, international and regional bodies which have approved the ten-year program called GEOSS, deciding instruments and terms for the installation of a world observation network based on ground stations and satellites so that to forecast and prevent natural and environmental catastrophes.

The information gathered by I-AMICA, the CNR and EvK2CNR stations to study the atmosphere, ecosystems and coasts will contribute to GEO-GEOSS.

http://www.earthobservations.org/geoss.shtml

 

GMOS – Global Mercury Observation System

This project, financed by the EU FP7 (DG Research), has a super-continental characteristic and its purpose is to implement a global mercury observation system so that to also verify its efficiency on environmental policies. The observation infrastructure is made up of 40 sites situated at different altitudes and latitudes, and it promotes campaign via planes and boats.

The climatic-environmental CNR station in Monte Curcio (Calabria), strengthened by I-AMICA, will be an integral part of the global observation system called GMOS.

www.gmos.eu

 

GreenInurbs – Cost Action FP1204. Green Infrastructure approach: linking environmental with social aspects in studying and managing urban forests

It is a European research network coordinated by CNR on urban forests e and the possibility to mitigate environment quality; it will also see the cooperation of United States and Canada. GreenInUrbs’ objective is to supply indicators to include on a local, national or international level as far as planning and managing urban forests is concerned together with the development of guidelines on the implementation of environmental aspects to maximize benefits for urban forests.

The  I-AMICA CNR site close to the urban Capodimonte Park is very interesting since it can measure CO2 fluxes and polluting substances between atmosphere and urban forest with its tools, supplying data on the mitigation ability that these ecosystems have inside the Cost Action.

http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/fps/Actions/FP1204

 

HYMEX – Hydrological cycle in Mediterranean experiment

The international project called HYMEX studies the hydrological site in the Mediterranean area to improve the ability to monitor extreme weather conditions, both from the observation and the forecasting points of view.

The I-AMICA super site in Lecce is linked with Hymex since it characterizes the atmosphere dispersion in the area, whilst contributing to a better comprehension of the energy exchanges atmosphere/surface which have already been studied inside Hymex in the ISAC-CNR base.

http://www.hymex.org/

 

Helix Nebula – The Science Cloud

It is a FP7 project, divided in three pilot projects, whose purpose is the creation of a European platform based on Cloud Computing for the scientific community. One of the three pilot projects is SSEP – SuperSites Exploitation Platform, whose purpose is migration, in Cloud, of the algorithms of satellite data which are monitored for the analysis of superficial deformation.

The strengthening of CNR data processing and storage inside I-AMICA allows the development of algorithms in the Helix Nebula project.

http://www.helix-nebula.eu/

 

ICOS – Integrated Carbon Observation System

ICOS is a European research infrastructure (ESFRI – FP7) which calculates the balance of greenhouse gases in Europe and surrounding areas. This network of stations which measure greenhouse gases of the ecosystems and their concentration in the atmosphere, grants a continued monitoring of the carbon cycle. These measures are combines with advanced models which integrate earth, sea and atmosphere. ICOS will grant an evaluation of the products and it will take care of the relationship with politics.

I-AMICA CNR site in Eboli – Borgo Cioffi is one of the candidates to enter ICOS. The other sites and the Capodimonte Park site will comply with the ICOS standards to measure the exchanges biosphere-atmosphere. The tools to strengthen I-AMICA will support these European standards.

http://www.icos-infrastructure.eu/

 

LTER – Italian Network for Long-Term Ecological Researches

LTER Italy is an observation network which is made up of 22 sites distributed among earth (9), lake (5), transition (3) and maritime (5) ecosystems; the majority of sites è has more than one research site (around 70). It is part of the European network called LTER-Europe and since 2006 it has been part of the LTER International Network (ILTER), which nowadays unites 40 countries in five continents.

After the strengthening of I-Amica we will suggest the CNR Monti della Sila site – Bonis Basin to join the LTER-Italy network, also considering that the long-term environmental and ecological research comply with the LTER Italy approach.

http://www.lteritalia.it

 

MELINOS – Monitoring European Lakes by means of an Integrated Earth Observation System

It is a project of the European Space Agency whose purpose is to map the quality of lake water thanks to data gathered by optical sensors from ESA (Meris, Proba-Chris, Apex).

The I-AMICA project allows to go further into the definition of analytic and semi-empirical algorithms to map bio-geophysical parameters of the EO data supplied by MELINOS.

 

RITMARE – Italian research for the sea

It is a five-year Italian project (2012-2016) which has been financed by MIUR and coordinated by CNR. RITMARE  has 7 sub-projects: Maritime Technology, Sustainable Fishing Technology, Coast Maritime Area Planning, Deep and Open Sea Environment Planning, Observation System of the Mediterranean Maritime Environment, Research Structures, Training and Circulation, interoperable Infrastructure for the Observation Network and maritime data.

I-AMICA, thanks to the upgrading of the CNR systems of data processing and storage, the study of coastal areas (ie. Volturno mouth) and the geo-physical forecasts on the coast, carried out thanks to the use of tools acquired inside the I-AMICA project, will support all RITMARE activities, sharing some data-set and other information.

http://www.ritmare.it/

 

RESNOVAE – Networks, Buildings, roads ‐ New Perspectives for Environment and Energy

This PON 2007-2013 project, developed inside Smart Cities and Communities, wants to develop and suggest an integrated solution of urban asset in which energy (electric and thermic)distribution, management of building networks, management of roads and real time monitoring of the city are integrated and cooperate with one another.

I-AMICA, with the infrastructure upgrade of the CNR site in Lecce makes climatic data for wind, sun and rain available as far as the development of renewable energy systems are concerned.

 

SHARE – Stations at High Altitude for Research on the Environment

It is an EvK2CNR project which promotes scientific monitoring in high-mountain and remote areas. Its main purposes are the acquisition of information thanks to an observation network of atmospheric, meteorological, ice, water, biodiversity and health composition, whose purpose is to improve scientific knowledge  on climate variability a on a regional and global scale and on the impacts of climatic change, making sure data are available in the long run.

Inside I-AMICA, mountain and remote stations CNR and EvK2CNR will work with SHARE, a project with which it cooperates for the implementation of environmental monitoring systems which have been developed both in CNR and EvK2CNR.

http://www.evk2cnr.org

 

SIBAE – Cost-Action ES0806. Stable isotopi in the research of the Biosphere-Atmosphere-Earth system

It is a European research network on the use of stable isotopes inside the interaction biosphere-atmosphere. Specific purposes are the impact of climatic changes on biogeochemical cycles in different environment and which are characterized by different management other than the promotion of new technologies and the creation of a network of young researchers.

CNR agro-forestry sites of I-AMICA are part of the themes and cooperation of Cost Action, thanks to the strengthening of the tools to determine carbon isotopes online.

http://www.sibae.ethz.ch/cost-sibae/

 

SIGIEC – Integrated Management System for Coast Erosion

SIGIEC’s purpose is to implement a prototype of integrated system to support decisions, and which includes both models dedicated to the study of coast erosion and technological options to contrast erosion thanks to risk mitigation systems, which have low environmental impact. The project is focused on low Adriatic and Ionio Seas sample areas. The system studies the impact of extreme events which are potentially more frequent than the past due to climatic change on coast areas.

Inside I-AMICA, the implementation of the CNR super site in Lamezia Terme will favor and support SIGIEC for both the development of a meteorological model and monitoring of the wind in the coast areas thanks to the help of the wind-lidar system.

 

TERRA-FIRMA

It is an ESA project whose purpose is to give support to the civil defense agencies and bodies who manage natural risks in the evaluation process and mitigation of risks, by using the newest technologies of imaging from satellites through radar sensors.

Inside the I-AMICA project, the strengthening of CNR systems of data processing supports the activities of the TERRA-FIRMA project, with particular attention to the analysis of superficial deformations, thanks to the development and use of algorithms of satellite data processing.

 

TETRis - New Open Source services on TETRA

It is a PON 2007-2013 project whose purpose is the use of technological components, based on the TETRA network, so that to implement Smart Environment. These are the fundamental aspects of a Smart City / Smart Country that can provide evolved services like: emergency management, environment control, urban mobility, in addition to utilities which are typical of public administrations.

I-AMICA will be able to define case studies to monitor the environment and to test the tools defined inside the Tetris project.

 

VIGOR – Evaluation of the Geothermic potential of the convergence Regions

This project was born from an agreement between the Ministry for Economic Development DG ENRE and CNR DTA inside POI Renewable Energy and Energy Saving 2007/2013, and its purpose is the diffusion and implementation of interventions to upgrade the potential of geothermic energy in the Convergence Regions.

In VIGOR, the sensors developed inside the CNR I-AMICA labs will be used to measure thermic gradients in explorative wells.

http://www.vigor-geotermia.it

 

WEZARD – Weather Hazards for Aeronautics

The EUC FP7 project, whose purpose is to support community research on the solidity of air transportation as far as meteorological risks are concerned. Its attention is focused on dangers which can derive from adverse weather conditions in vast areas, like in the case of clouds made up of volcanic ashes.

Inside the I-AMICA project, CNR profiling stations and the University will supply lidar data 24/7 and they could be used to also monitor volcanic ashes.

http://www.wezard.eu/

 

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