Works at the European Commission

• Contribution to the preparation of a report, which will take stock of the achievements  related to relevant environmental protection policy measures as implemented at European Union and National levels of the Implementation of the EU Biodiversity Action Plan for Agriculture (COM(2001) 162 vol. III) (BAP-Agriculture).
• Preparation of hydrological maps using Geographical Information Systems to contribute to assess the state of water resources in Europe.

• Identification of the elements introduced in the 2003 CAP reform to further integrate biodiversity and nature conservation considerations. Interaction with different Environmental units inside the European Commission and with the European Environmental Agency.                                                      

• Gathering the information based on the Commission document "EU rural development monitoring data-synthesis report 2001", and survey of the approaches of the Member States in drafting their codes of good farming practices. Collection of data on trends on CAP expenditure as well as the main environmental elements of the 2003 CAP reform for biodiversity integration.
• Contribution to the preparation of a synthesis report on the degree of implementation by the MS of actions specified in the BAP-Agriculture.
• Information on the uptake and the effectiveness of the agri-environmental measures targeted to nature conservation and biodiversity. 

Monitoring of Ground Water Pollution

Site of works at Sir Rogerson's Quay

dust-rain-air
pollution meter

• Field work: Man in charge of the sampling on the site. Site polluted from the former Gasworks site at Sir Rogerson's Quay in Dublin(Liffey river mouth). Due to its history of gas production, the site was contaminated with the by-products of the gas production process. 
• Main tasks: to assess the impact of these works, an extensive program was set up to monitor relevant environmental parameters: dust, noise, groundwater, vapour, gases. Assessment of the possible treatment methods for the soil. General supervision of environmental activities on site.
• Output: DEC Environmental Contractors hired my services  for the environmental monitoring program.The Company was involved in this project as one of the 2 main contractors in a Joint Venture, taking care of the environmental monitoring and the processing, shipping and treatment of the contaminated material (250,000 tons).

piezometer

well

Environmental Impact Monitoring on Zoostera fields

images cortesy of Siam Web Site

• Field work: monitoring of water pollution by measuring physico-chemical properties of water using Multi-parameter Meter. Looking at the effect of nitrate and phosfate pollution into the growth of the Zostera, taking cores samples of ground for biomass calculations. 
• Assistance to professor and laboratory work.
• Output: finished the last year of my Degree in Biology (1995-2000 thanks to a Erasmus Schorlaship, undertook serious tasks within a very committed working group at IMAR Coimbra. 

Equipment used for trials