Elena Mateescu
Lifelong scientific contribution to the field of agrometeorology and outstanding services to the European meteorological community
Elena Mateescu was selected as Laureate of the EMS Silver Medal 2022 for her lifelong scientific contribution to the field of agrometeorology, her outstanding services to the European meteorological community, as well as her leading and coordinating research at national and European levels.
Silver Medal Lecture: “EMS Silver Medal: Recognition & motivation of women to the benefit of the meteorological science”
Elena Mateescu is an outstanding researcher with a world leading expertise in the field of agrometeorology. She conducted significant scientific studies on different aspects of agrometeorology, covering both theoretical and operational approaches. Her most important contributions include assessing the impact of current and predictable climate change on agricultural production, based on specific methods and techniques of climate analysis and weather-harvest relationship modelling, and identifying new agricultural technologies adapted to climate change. She contributed as a chapter lead author to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Elena Mateescu’s services to the meteorological community are numerous and she has been committed in various leading roles in WMO activities and initiatives, as Co-Chairperson of the Focus Area 4: Communication, Education and Capacity Development in Agricultural Meteorology within the Commission for Agricultural Meteorology and recently, as Co-chair of the Standing Committee on Services for Agriculture within the WMO Technical Commission for Weather, Climate, Water and Related Environmental Services and Applications (SERCOM), or as a member of the SERCOM Management Group.
Elena has been the inspiration and guiding leader behind the development of national and European research projects triggering environment and risk prevention, climate change adaptation and mitigation, climate risk management, monitoring and sustainable management of natural resources (soil, water, climate) with socio-economic impact. She has made a significant contribution to the development of agrometeorological services and products, in line with the ever growing demands of the users in this field. She encouraged the improvement of the agrometeorological modelling methodologies and techniques, and contributed to the development of training activities and professional capacity building programs in the field. She is also committed to activities to raise public awareness of the effects of climate change on agriculture and adaptation to predictable climate scenarios.
In addition to all that, Elena has advocated for gender equality and women empowerment and she has the profile of a prominent female leader in the national and international meteorological community.
Employments and services to the meteorological community
- Expert Team Leader on Strengthening Operational Agrometeorological Services under WMO/CAgM/OPAG 1 – Agrometeorological Service for Agricultural Production/ET 1.2 – ETSOAS – 2010-2014;
- Executive Director of the National Meteorological Administration of Romania (2011);
- Associate Professor at the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest (USAMV), Faculty of Land Reclamation and Environmental Engineering of Bucharest (FIFIM-USAMV) (2013);
- Responsible on behalf of the National Meteorological Administration within the Integrated Drought Management Programme in Central and Eastern Europe, a WMO and GWP initiative;
- Chairperson of the Focus Area 4: Capacity Development in Agricultural Meteorology, CAgM OPCAMEs (2014-2018);
- Member of the Steering Committee of the “South-East European Multi-Hazard Early Warning Advisory System (SEE-MHEWS-A)” (2016)
- Corresponding Member of the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences “Gheorghe Ionescu-Şişeşti” (2015)
- Director General of the National Meteorological Administration of Romania (2016);
- Co-chair of the Focus Area 4: Capacity Development in Agricultural Meteorology, CAgM OPCAMEs (2019-2022);
- In 2018, Starting discussions and procedures at governmental level to facilitate the hosting of the Regional Agrometeorological Centre within RA VI (Europe), in collaboration with the Drought Management Centre for Southeastern Europe (DMCSEE), that would ensure the strengthening of the cooperation and capacity building relationships between the national weather services worldwide and would enable the creation of partnerships at European and world levels as regards the implementation of research projects in the field of climate change and the adaptation to the effects of global warming, in the context of the objectives set through the Paris Agreement and the Katowice COP 24;
- Launching of the initiative of establishing a Regional Agrometeorological Centre for RAVI (Europe) in Romania, on the occasion of the 18th World Meteorological Congress (Geneva, June 2019);
- Co-chair of the Standing Committee on Services for Agriculture within the WMO Technical Commission for Weather, Climate, Water and Related Environmental Services and Applications (SERCOM), member of the SERCOM Management Group;
- Organizing the First Roving Seminar for Farmers on Weather and Climate, in Romania;
Education
- Ph.D. 2001 from University of Agronomical and Veterinary Sciences Bucharest, Faculty of Agriculture, Specialization “Plant crop”. Title of Ph.D. thesis: “Research of the climatic resources fluctuation on the vegetation and the winter wheat and maize production in the Southern area of the Romanian Plain”.
- B.Sc. 1990 from the Agronomical Institute “Nicolae Bălcesu”, Bucharest. Diploma of Agricultural Engineer.
Selected Publications
Elena Mateescu, I. POIANA, I. V. PESCARU, Oana OPREA, D. ALEXANDRU (2004) – “Agrometeorological monitoring system-decision-making instrument to prevent and mitigate the agricultural drought in Romania”, Technical workshop on drought preparedness in the Balkans within the context of the UNCCD, Poiana Brasov 25-26 Octombrie 2004, CD-ROM ISBN 92-95043-06-5;
Elena Mateescu, N. Tanislav, V.V. Vătămanu (2004) – „Impact of drought conditions upon winter wheat and maize crops in the Caracal Plain”, Editura Sitech, Craiova, ISBN 973-657-535-7, 163 pag;
Elena Mateescu (2007) – “EU-ACCRETe Project – Agriculture and Climate Change: how to reduce human effects and threats. Romania’s contribution and future steps”, The Parliament Politics, Policy and People Magazine, Issue 258, 10 December 2007, pp 76-77;
Elena Mateescu (2007) – “EU-ACCRETe Project – Agriculture and Climate Change: how to reduce human effects and threats. Presentation of the case studies presented at the project thematic goups”, Publisher by Municipality of Chrissoupolis, Greece, pp, 11-14, 14-18, 20-22;
Elena Mateescu, V. Turcu (2007) – “EU-ACCRETe Project – Agriculture and Climate Change: how to reduce human effects and threats. Regional facts and challenges” – Chapter 2 – Climate change in Europe and Chapter 3 – Regional climate change impacts on agriculture, Publisher by University of Rostock, Germany, pp 18-71;
Teodosiu, Elena Mateescu (2008) – “Romanian plant phenology – history, networks and data”. COST Action 725. The history and current status of plant phenology in Europe, ESFCOST Office 2008, ISBN 978-951-40-2091-9, pp. 140-144.
Elena Mateescu, Adriana Marica, D. Alexandru (2009) – „Climate change impact on fruit growing production’, Proceedings R.I.F.G.Pitesti, Vol. XXV, 2009, ISSN 1584-2231, Editura INVEL-MULTIMEDIA SRL, pp. 87-100.
Elena Mateescu, Elena Antipova (2009) – Chapter 5 „To promote more active collaboration with farming community in Europe for improved applications of agrometeorology at the farm level including Internet technologies” , Reports to WMO RA VI 2009, pp. 175-189;
Elena Mateescu, (2009) – 5th National Communication of Romania for UNFCCC, Chapter VI. VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION MEASURES. VI. B.2 AGRICULTURE, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Climate Change Department, Romania, pp 121-149.
Elena Mateescu, D. Alexandru (2010) – “Management recommendations and options to improve the crop systems and yields on South-East Romania in the context of regional climate change scenarios over 2020-2050”, Scientific Papers, Series A LIII – Agronomy, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Faculty of Agriculture, ISSN 1222-5339, pp 328-334;
C. Paltineanu, E. Chitu, and E. Mateescu (2011) – “Changes in crop evapotranspiration and irrigation water requirements”, International Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 2011, 25, 369-373;
G. Stancalie, Elena Mateescu at all (2012) – “Guide to good practices for preventing drought and water scarcity in Mures River Basin”, EU- DGE, Halting Desertification in Europe Programme, MIDMURES Project – Mitigation Drought in Vulnerable Area of the Mures Basin 07.0316/2010/582303/SUB/D1, 64 pp; EuroGEOSS interoperability model”, Ljubljana, 23rd – 25th November 2011, “Towards EuroGEOSS interoperability model in drought monitoring in SEE region”;
C. Paltineanu, E. Chitu, and Elena Mateescu (2012) – “New trends for reference evapotranspiration and climatic water deficit”, International Agrophysics., Polish Academy of Sciences, 2012, 26, 159-165, doi: 10.2478/v 10247-012-0023-9.