Members of the Climate Broadcasters Network - Europe

Elena Cordoneanu studied at the Faculty of Physics, Geophysics and Atmospheric Physics Section from 1970 until 1975. She worked as meteorologist at the National Meteorological Administration (NMA) for 30 years until 2005. She was also the head of the NMA National Center of Weather Forecast.

Between 1992 and 1995, within the international project ALADIN coordinated by Météo-France, she worked to carry out the ALADIN model (limited area numerical atmospheric model). The project was successfully achieved and Météo-France conferred diplomas of merit to all the staff that participated significantly to its achievement, including her. She also received from Météo-France “Le Verrier” medal - a medal which has, so far, only been awarded to nine foreign researchers.

During the same period, she attended several courses in Toulouse , cumulating two years of training for the preparation of her PhD thesis.

A big national project, SIMIN (2001-2003) improved the National Observation Network (automatic surface stations, radars, lightning system), data transmission, collecting, and processing. She worked in the Romanian team for the implementation of the project, particularly for the part involving the forecast activity. In 2004, the forecast activity in the National Center of Weather Forecast in Romania significantly improved.  

She worked for 4 years within the WMO Expert Team of OPAG on PWS and was the national focal point for PWS matters and member of the Sub-group on Regional Aspects of PWS in RA VI. In 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2005 she represented Romania in the WMO CSB sessions in Karlsruhe , Geneva , Cairns and Saint Petersburg respectively.

Since 2005 she has been working as a meteorological expert and presenter with REALITATEA TV in Bucharest.

"I communicate on climate change by preparing TV shows. Together with invited specialists we try to reveal climate issues and avoid using complicated formulas by presenting intuitive graphics, it also advises people on how to live in harmony with the weather and preserve the environment to keep it clean and safe. Finding an effective way of communicating on such issues is rather challenging, but we are doing our best to communicate such topics in a way that motivates people to act. In 2008, this broadcast “Saptamana de Vreme“was granted the EMS Outreach & Communication Award."

Florinela is a senior forecaster and researcher at the National Meteorological Administration in Bucharest, Romania. She is also a PhD student at the Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, under the theme: "Conceptual models of cyclogenesis adapted at the Romanian territory”. She has been working as a forecaster at the National Forecasting Centre since 1990.

Between 1994 and 1999, Florinela was an editor and weather presenter on public television. Over the past few years, she has been invited many times to news bulletins and talk shows to speak about extreme weather phenomena and climate change, as well as writing about these issues in newspapers. Currently, she contributes to the development of a website on meteorology (http://vremea.meteoromania.ro).

Since 2006, she has given lessons on the structure of the atmosphere, pollution and the greenhouse effect at the Ecological University in Bucharest.

She is the author of several scientific articles published in Romanian and international scientific journals, and has participated in international meteorological and climatological conferences all over Europe. After Romania became a member of the European Union, she had the opportunity to participate in the COST Action 733 “Harmonisation and Applications of Weather Type Classifications for European Regions“.