EMS Tromp Award 2016 to Barbara Templ

Award for an outstanding achievement in biometeorology

The EMS Tromp award has recently been established and is given for the second time this year. The EMS Tromp Award 2016 winner is Barbara Templ from Eötvös Lorànd University, Hungary, nominated with the paper: Flowering phenological changes in relation to climate change in Hungary, B. Szabó, E. Vincze, B. Czúcz, 2016, published in the International Journal of Biometeorology, DOI 10.1007/s00484-015-1128-1.

The prize will be presented during the 16th EMS Annual Meeting and 11th ECAC on 13 September 2016 in Trieste, Italy. The awardee will receive $US 1,000 and travel expenses to attend the EMS Annual Meeting. The awardee will give a presentation on 12 September 2016 at the Session ASI12 Phenology and Agrometeorology.

The Tromp Foundation (Foundation for Biometeorological Research), the legacy of Solco W. Tromp, is funding this award with the intention to promote biometeorology in Europe. Biometeorology is an interdisciplinary science studying the interactions between atmospheric processes and living organisms – plants, animals and humans. It provides answers to the question How does weather and climate impact the well-being of all living beings?

EMS Tromp Young Scientist Travel Awards

The Tromp Foundation also funds six EMS Tromp Young Scientist Travel Awards for papers that are presented at the EMS & ECAC specifically on topics in biometeorology. The following recipients have been selected:

• Jana Fischereit, presenting Assessing uncertainties for the calculation of perceived temperature in an urban environment: on Wednesday, 9:30 in Session ASI7/CE10 Human Biometeorology
• Mikhail I. Varentsov, Presenting Investigation of detailed spatial structure of the Moscow megacity climate features to the newest meteorological observations and regional climate modelling with connection to human comfort: on Friday at 10:30 in Poster session ASI11 Urban Climate, Poster number G14, on the gallery.
• Pavel Konstantinov, presenting Urban Heat Island’s intensity research of Arctic city during winter and its influence on inhabitants’ thermal comfort: on Friday at 11:45 in session ASI11 Urban Climate
• Burak Öztaner, presenting Estimation of Crop Production Loss due to Ozone over Europe by CMAQ Model: on Monday at 17:30 in session ASI12 Phenology and agrometeorology
• Spyridon Paparrizos, presenting Present and future responses of growing degree days for Crete island in Greece: on Monday at 17:45 in session ASI12 Phenology and agrometeorology
• Ajda Valher, presenting Crop water balance variability: on Monday at 17:15 in session ASI12 Phenology and agrometeorology

Who was Solco Walle Tromp?

Solco W. Tromp was born on March 1909. He studied geology and geography at Leyden University, The Netherlands, and after he received his PhD he worked as an exploration geologist for oil companies. During World War II he became involved in de Dutch
section of MacArthur’s Headquarters. After the war, he studied physiology and meteorology; in 1947 he became a Professor of Geology at the King Saud University in Cairo, Egypt; from 1950 to 1955 he was a geological consultant at the UN Technical Assistance programme for Central America and the Middle east.

In 1955, he switched to biometeorology and founded the Biometeorological Research centre in Leyden. In the same year he founded the International Society for Biometeorology of which he was secretary until 1976. Solco Tromp combined three distinct qualities,
a highly scientific mind, a logical intellect and an excellent organisational talent. By 1953, he already achieved a substantial bibliography on topics, which we may refer to as biomedical science or medical geography. His remarkable productive energy continued to the time of his death in 1993.

As a person, Solco Tromp was very courteous, full of humour and with a great zest for life. He became the main promoter of biometeorology for many years after his geology career. After he died part of his legacy was allocated to The Tromp Foundation (Foundation for Biometeorological Research). The aim of the Foundation is to promote Biometeorology.