Braila Research station

Braila Research station is supporting the implementation of research projects related to the complex socio-ecological systems of the Lower Danube River.

Over the time the staff of the research station has provided the needed support for knowledge development for generations of master and PhD students attending environmental education programs for the Faculty of Biology of the Bucharest University.

As part of the Research Center in Systems Ecology and Sustainability (RCSES), and as a result of numerous research projects implemented by the research center the Braila Research Station is now offering a unique combination of ongoing long-term measurements of regional climate, hydrology, nutrients in sediments and water, benthic community structure, aquatic, terrestrial and wetland vegetation structure and productivity, and aquatic birds community structure, coupled with more recent developments in monitoring sensors and research infrastructure.

The Braila Research Station is offering also the scientific and physical support for the Braila Island Long Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) platform (for more information see here).

The Braila Research Atation has laboratories for: primary processing of samples; primary physico -chemical analysis; species identification and productivity measurements; database storage and modeling (for more information see here).

The Braila research facility is equipped with the necessary communication and transport facilities for the field work, it has a series of field and research monitoring stations (sampling points) covering the spatial heterogeneity of the LTSER in terms of habitat types (terrestrial, i.e. farms, grasslands and forests, aquatic, i.e. shallow lakes and the Danube river, and marshes). On top of this, the site has a complex intensive monitoring and research station equipped with meteorological, soil measuring including depth wells sensors for real time measurements as well as with portable equipment for long term CO2 soil measurement (LICOR).

The Braila Research Station has also a research vessel hosting up to 6 researchers (Universitatea 3) and a new pontoon equipped with the necessary instruments for both sample collection as well as primary analysis of different samples, field equipment including automatic analyzer for algae classes, sensors for real time water analysis (for pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients). All the samples that could not be analyzed at Braila are transported to the laboratory located in Bucharest were complex analysis such as DOC (Dissolved organic Carbon), CHNS analyzer, automatic analyzer for nutrients; heavy metals using atomic spectrophotometers could be performed. The Bucharest facility also includes a complete GIS and modeling laboratory equipped with software for integrated analysis of the results.

Being part of the Research Center in Systems Ecology and Sustainability (RCSES) the Braila Ecological Research Station is also a place for multi and trans-disciplinary research in systems ecology and sustainability with focus on:
i) dynamics of the ecological systems structural configuration under the action of anthropogenic/climatic
factors;
ii) ecosystem processes understanding and quantification;
iii) key ecosystem services identification and valuation;
iv) social analysis for biodiversity assessment;
v) analysis of energy flows and mass-transfer within socio-ecological complexes;
vi) policies analysis and scientific support for the implementation process.