In cooperation with NASA, NOAA and RAS, the NEESPI Regional Focus Research Center for Non-boreal Eastern Europe has been founded at the Institute of Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of West Hungary, in Sopron

International cooperative research has paid up to now little attention to the effect of climate change in SE-Europe. Most of this region is situated in a climatic and ecological transition zone (ecotone) between closed forests and steppe therefore relatively small changes can generate ecologically harmful processes. Following the initiative of prof. Csaba Mátyás, a regional coordination center (Regional Focus Research Center for Non-boreal Eastern Europe) has been established at the University of West Hungary, Institute of Environmental and Earth Sciences in Sopron, Hungary, as part of the NEESPI cooperation network. „Nonboreal” means that the field of activity lies outside of the boreal forest or taiga belt, in the border region toward the continental steppe. This zone starts nearly exactly at the location of the Focus Centre in Sopron, Hungary, and stretches eastward across the Ukraine and South Russia into South Siberia to Mandshuria.

The goal of this cooperation is the detailed analysis of effects of terrestrial energy, water and biogeochemical cycles and human impacts (first of all land use change) on the regional and global climate and on the dynamics of ecosystems. The formal inauguration of the Center is planned on April 24, 2009, in Sopron.

The NEESPI (Northern Eurasian Earth Science Partnership Initiative) network was established on the initiative of NASA, NOAA and the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) in 2005. Since then, 560 researchers from 30 countries take part actually in the virtual organisation under NEESPI.

The goal of this organization is the joint research and analysis of effects of climate change on northern and temperate Eurasia. Three-quarters of the temperate land in the northern hemisphere is found in Eurasia therefore the processes taking place here will have remarkable influence on the Earth’s climate. One of the weakest points of climate modelling is the response and the impact of vegetation cover on atmospheric and hydrologic processes. The Center in Sopron plans – among other themes - to improve the knowledge about these interactions.

The founding decision was taken at the NEESPI Workshop in Odessa, August 2008.

How to reach FRC Sopron
Street address
Cházár tér 1,
Sopron, Hungary
Postal address
Institute of Environmental and Earth Sciences,
Faculty of Forestry, University of West Hungary,
P.O.box: 132.
H-9401 Sopron, Hungary
Fax
+36-99/329-840

Prof. Csaba Mátyás, head
e-mail: cm(at)emk.nyme.hu
Telephone: +36-99/518-395

FRC Coordination Office
Telephone: +36-99/518-619
Á. Drüszler
e-mail: a.druszler(at)emk.nyme.hu
A. Eredics
e-mail: aeredics(at)yahoo.com