Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (D.D.B.R.): reed dynamics within actual context

The reed beds are widely considered in Europe as ecologically and economically beneficial areas. I n The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (D.D.B.R.), reed is by far the dominant species and reed marshes cover more than 220,000 ha (Hanganu et al 2002). Presently, certain areas of reed beds are selected for burning or harvesting during the winter by private companies. Other surfaces are harvested in green, mown by the inhabitants as cattle food. Comparing the present period with the harvest campaigns from the ‘60 th until the ‘80 , we can say that the actual pressure on reed’s biodiversity is reduced. All above aspects of management practices and their influence on reed beds succession and th conservation of biodiversity are discussed. Beside the current reed type description and comparison with biometrical data from Chifu et al (1993), we present their distribution, in relation with type of substrate and hydrology, by reed complexes.Online ISSN 2065-7647; Printed ISSN 2066-762

APPLICATION OF DEEP LEARNING OF MULTI-TEMPORAL SENTINEL-1 IMAGES FOR THE CLASSIFICATION OF COASTAL VEGETATION ZONE OF THE DANUBE DELTA

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Cryogenic Dark Matter Search in Europe

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Synergy between Sentinel-1 radar time series and Sentinel-2 optical for the mapping of restored areas in Danube delta

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Change detection in floodable areas of the Danube delta using radar images

International audienceIn the wetlands of the Danube delta floodplain, flooding is a major natural risk. The coastal wetlands have been seriously impacted by floods in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2010. Using hydrological and satellite observations acquired in 2009 and during the summer of 2010, this paper tackles the issue of forecasting risk based on land cover information and observations. A major objective of this methodological work consists in exploring several types of data from the Japanese ALOS satellite. These data are used to illustrate a multitemporal radar data processing methodology based on temporal entropy analysis that enables change detection in the floodable areas of the Danube delta

Towards Innovative Governance of Nature Areas

How can the governance of nature areas foster the sustainability of ecosystems? This is discussed with regard to larger threats on ecosystems despite larger global nature areas that reach 19 million km2 of land along with larger costs per area unit. Moreover, monetization of nature with payments for ecosystem services is sometimes demanded for justification of the nature areas; however, this does not resolve the threats but faces scientific and ethical scrutiny. An alternative is the governance that incubates sustainable innovations in the nature areas for broad dissemination which generates interests in the sustainability of ecosystems. Opportunities are due to demands for ethical products, ecotourism and images of nature which generate USD 1100 billion in global markets. Sustainable innovations of using reed for insulation walls, furniture panels and upholstery in the EU can generate a few hundred million dollars in addition to present roof thatching, fodder and fuels if good functional qualities of the reed products are developed. Their functionalities can be supported by the inclusive economics, CO2 storage, treatment of water pollution, richer biodiversity, and other ethical qualities. The governance of nature areas can prevent the present deadlock but needs the development of technical and entrepreneurial capabilities

Synergy between LIDAR and RADARSAT-2 images for the recognition of vegetation structures in the coastal wetlands of the Danube Delta

International audienceWetlands are among the most productive environments in the world and are characterized by exceptional biologicaldiversity. Despite their indisputable importance, these environments remain among the most endangeredecosystems in the world due to drainage, drying out, pollution or overexploitation of resources. The Danube Delta,a coastal wetland of the Black Sea, cannot escape these dangers and, to preserve its resources, it has been declareda Biosphere Reserve (in 1993). The biodiversity of this area is remarkable and it possesses one of the largest reedin the world (a continuous 2,700 km2 reed cover).The main goal of this project is to determine, characterize and derive functional descriptors of the vegetationstructures, Phragmites australis species of the Danube Delta being the most prevalent. For this purpose, thisproject aims, on the one hand, at interpreting LIDAR measurements (acquired in May 2011) in conjunction withRADARSAT-2 satellite observations (acquired in early June 2011) and, on the other hand, at validating the resultsobtained by the introduction of the spectral measurements of the main vegetation classes into a Spectral AngleMapper algorithm applied to a SPOT-5 image (May 2011). The LIDAR data allow the assessment of vegetationheight with an accuracy of a few centimeters. Hence, the various vegetation layers can be accurately mapped.However, the differentiation of the various vegetation formations within a same layer requires the contribution ofcomplementary data sources such as RADARSAT-2 data. The radar measurements are derived using the C band (wavelength = 5.3 cm) providing additional information on the vegetation cover structure with regard to roughness,moisture and biomass. The simultaneous acquisition of HH, HV and VV polarizations allows the differentiation ofthe areas according to their response to different polarizations by establishing their polarimetric signatures. Basedon these raw data, we were able to derive other indices such as, for instance, the intensity of the four polarizations,the span and the polarimetric entropy. Entropy is very sensitive to vegetation density; the thicker the vegetation,the higher the entropy becomes. The approach allowed us to obtain valuable information regarding different typesof exploitation of the reed (cut or burned reed). Moreover, the exploitation of the SPOT 5 spectral informationwas made possible due to the calibration carried out using spectrometers to perform spectral measurements in theareas previously identified on the images