{"title":"LTSER Negev highland - Israel","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/","suffix":"a35d8356-d3d4-41c2-aa34-d59e09b01971"},"type":"site","created":"2016-10-06T12:03:42+02:00","changed":"2025-01-07T11:14:56+01:00","attributes":{"affiliation":{"networks":[{"network":{"name":"GERI","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"c3abdc60-49f1-49db-81fe-863b7dbb21d3"}},"siteCode":null,"verified":true},{"network":{"name":"ILTER","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"1aa7ccb2-a14b-43d6-90ac-5e0a6bc1d65b"}},"siteCode":null,"verified":true},{"network":{"name":"LTER Europe","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"4742ffca-65ac-4aae-815f-83738500a1fc"}},"siteCode":null,"verified":true},{"network":{"name":"LTER Israel","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"e0f680c2-22b1-4424-bf54-58aa9b7476a0"}},"siteCode":"LTER_EU_IL_017","verified":true}],"projects":null},"contact":{"siteManager":[{"type":"person","name":"Noa Avriel Avni","email":"noa@adssc.org","orcid":null}],"operatingOrganisation":null,"metadataProvider":[{"type":"person","name":"Noa Avriel Avni","email":"noa@adssc.org","orcid":null}],"fundingAgency":null,"siteUrl":[{"title":"LTER - ISRAEL","value":"http:\/\/lter-israel.org.il\/"}]},"general":{"abstract":"The Negev Highlands (NH) LTSER platform is situated between the Sinai Peninsula to the west\r\nand the Arava \u2013 Dead Sea depression to the east. This is a rocky terrain, covering an area of\r\n17,000 sq. km with series of ridges at an altitude of 400-1000 m above sea level. As part of the\r\nSaharo-Arabian desert belt, the climate across the NH is arid to hyper-arid region: January\u2019s\r\nmean daily temperature is 10 \u00b0C and July\u2019s mean daily temperature is 25 \u00b0C The potential\r\nevaporation is approximately 2200 mm\/y, and mean annual precipitation is 70\u2013130 mm, with\r\nlarge inter annual variations. The rainy season occurs during the winter months, from November\r\nto March. The area is rich with unique natural landscapes. One of the most prominent of these\r\nare the Makhteshim, which is the largest erosion craters in the world. In addition to its unique\r\nlandscapes, it is also a habitat for various species of flora and fauna that are adapted to arid zones\r\nand highlands, some of which are endemic to the area. The Negev Highland LTSER platform\r\nincludes two LTER sites: Avdat Site in the arid zone and Makhtesh Ramon site in the hyper arid\r\nzone.\r\nArchaeological remains indicate that humans lived in the area for at least 1.4 million years.\r\nToday, about 10,000 residents live here, in towns, agricultural communities, small Bedouin tribal\r\nvillages and tourist-agricultural farms. Most of it is concentrated along the main route (Route No.\r\n40), while much of the area beyond the roads is either designated nature reserves or firing zones.\r\nThe two main livelihoods in NH today are agriculture - mainly vines and olives, and\r\ntourism; Both are greatly affected by climate change. Agriculture relies on desalinated\r\nseawater imported into the area. However, it is affected by the climate in several ways: 1) flash\r\nfloods cause increased soil erosion. 2) Long periods of drought during the winter, cause increased\r\nevaporation and therefore large water consumption. This is when the price of water is the main\r\nexpense of the farmers, and increasing it may make agriculture unprofitable. 3) The uncertainty\r\nregarding the amount of precipitation and their timing, characterizes the arid environment. Recent\r\nclimate changes are increasing this uncertainty and therefore make it very difficult for farmers to\r\nplan their land cultivation and expenses. Climatic uncertainty poses a significant challenge also\r\nfor tourism operators; Jews and Bedouins, as well. This is due to the multiplicity of events of\r\nextreme climatic conditions (extreme cold or extreme heat), which repel tourists from reaching\r\nthe area. And, a multitude of years when there is not enough precipitation to generate the famous\r\nspring bloom of the area.\r\nFor the past 7 years, the NH LTSER\u0027s researchers have been working closely with three\r\nstakeholder groups in the area: winegrowers in the valleys, the Negev Highlands Tourism\r\nAssociation and Bedouin tourism operators. In Green Transformation we will actively engage\r\nwith this group, through tow case studies: 1) The Desert Miracle farm - which will serve as a\r\nmonitoring and dissemination knowledge farm; In a collaboration with the owner of the farm,\r\nR and D agriculture in the NH and the Center for Flood Research (DSASC). 2) Tourism in the NH;\r\nIn collaboration with the NH Tourism Association. Through joint work with these NGOs, we will\r\n\r\ndevelop a long-term monitoring program and educational materials. The topics we will deal with:\r\nreducing soil erosion and increasing soil moisture, by using appropriate agricultural methods to\r\nmultiply flash floods, which will be distributed to additional farmers in the area through activities\r\nat the monitoring farm. and to tourists through workshops of the Tourism Association. In the case\r\nof tourists, the aspect to be monitored is the number of tourists who come to the area in relation to\r\nthe weather conditions. Together with the Tourist Association we will develop tourist-monitoring\r\nsystem. The high sensitivity of the arid region to climate change and the great exposure of the\r\nimpact of these changes on animals, plants and humans, invite possible tourist-educational\r\nactivities aimed at transformation in ways of thinking and behaving. An environmental education\r\nprogram and educational tools will be developed together with the Tourist Association. Their\r\nimpact will be monitored in collaboration between the NH LTSER platforms researchers and\r\ntourism operators.","citation":null,"relatedIdentifiers":null,"status":{"label":"Operational","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/elter_cl\/10772"},"yearEstablished":1964,"yearClosed":null,"relatedSites":null,"siteName":"LTSER Negev highland","shortName":"Negev Highland","siteType":"Platform","protectionLevel":[{"label":"Category II \u2013 National Park","uri":"http:\/\/dd.eionet.europa.eu\/vocabularyconcept\/cdda\/IucnCategoryValue\/II"},{"label":"Category Ia \u2013 Strict Nature Reserve","uri":"http:\/\/dd.eionet.europa.eu\/vocabularyconcept\/cdda\/IucnCategoryValue\/Ia"}],"landUse":null,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-06\/Boundry.png","alt":"Boundaries of Negev Highland Platform"},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-06\/Land_Use.png","alt":"Land use in the Negev Highland LTSER"},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-06\/NH_LTSER_conference_2021.JPG","alt":"Field trip in the platform"},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-09\/LTSER2.jpg","alt":"Boundaries - LTSER NEGEV HIGHLAND"}]},"environmentalCharacteristics":{"airTemperature":{"yearlyAverage":17,"monthlyAverage":null,"unit":"\u00b0C","referencePeriod":{"label":"1991 - 2020","uri":null}},"precipitation":{"yearlyAverage":80,"monthlyAverage":null,"unit":"mm","referencePeriod":{"label":"1991 - 2020","uri":null}},"biogeographicalRegion":null,"biome":"desert","ecosystemType":[{"label":"Agricultural","uri":null},{"label":"Desert","uri":null},{"label":"Deserts and xeric shrublands","uri":null},{"label":"Urban","uri":null}],"eunisHabitat":[{"label":"Dry grasslands (E1)","uri":null},{"label":"Grasslands and lands dominated by forbs, mosses or lichens (E)","uri":null}],"landforms":null,"geoBonBiome":["Terrestrial"],"geology":null,"hydrology":null,"soils":null,"vegetation":null},"geographic":{"boundaries":"POLYGON ((34.403948121706 30.858115912296, 34.397301772313 30.876834445378, 34.418122111918 30.879808640406, 34.447865556491 30.897059504527, 34.488316455959 30.897059267426, 34.529957199953 30.911335744504, 34.56981328414 30.917879007905, 34.634654051769 30.963088243534, 34.68997649482 30.949406061195, 34.763740173147 30.984502565812, 34.886282711817 30.999373428684, 35.051060820003 31.02435671851, 35.200372309902 31.037442831677, 35.252720273238 31.00591476826, 35.10161923791 30.358704341827, 35.020717049186 30.306356831864, 34.913641297955 30.325393077788, 34.881518409801 30.309926814867, 34.843446632958 30.264717415993, 34.778010689046 30.176678007784, 34.712098993183 30.106960392825, 34.612032934753 30.37107647412, 34.543768681611 30.412752747305, 34.541779731466 30.44221660644, 34.557683101604 30.494800333759, 34.518838035532 30.532308794995, 34.515789631301 30.597242261407, 34.497368050736 30.679559069002, 34.403948121706 30.858115912296))","coordinates":"POINT (34.772014 30.79316)","country":["Israel"],"elevation":{"avg":800,"min":250,"max":1037,"unit":"msl"},"size":{"value":40000,"unit":"ha"},"relatedLocations":null},"focusDesignScale":{"experiments":{"design":"mainly experimentation","scale":"plot scale"},"observations":{"design":"mainly observation","scale":"plot within catchment"},"observedProperties":[{"label":"abiotic heterogeneity","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/21476"},{"label":"agricultural parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20936"},{"label":"air humidity","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22032"},{"label":"air temperature","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22035"},{"label":"atmospheric parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20937"},{"label":"biological parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20940"},{"label":"carbon dioxide concentration","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22082"},{"label":"community composition","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22086"},{"label":"daylight length","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22100"},{"label":"diffuse solar radiation intensity","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22106"},{"label":"direct radiation intensity","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22044"},{"label":"diversity index","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/21513"},{"label":"ecosystem parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20939"},{"label":"ecosystem structure","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/21475"},{"label":"global radiation irradiance","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22125"},{"label":"heat flux","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22130"},{"label":"land cover","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22142"},{"label":"land use","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22143"},{"label":"landscape composition","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22146"},{"label":"landscape configuration","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22147"},{"label":"landscape parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20943"},{"label":"net solar radiation irradiance","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22173"},{"label":"patch density","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22179"},{"label":"patch size","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22180"},{"label":"percent carbon","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22181"},{"label":"plant carbon concentration","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22187"},{"label":"plant nutrient","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22194"},{"label":"reflected radiation intensity","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22210"},{"label":"solar radiation","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22284"},{"label":"species composition","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22285"},{"label":"species richness","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22287"},{"label":"sunshine duration","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22111"},{"label":"wind direction","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22317"},{"label":"wind speed","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22319"}]},"infrastructure":{"accessibleAllYear":true,"accessType":"regular car","allPartsAccessible":true,"maintenanceInterval":1,"permanentPowerSupply":true,"operation":{"permanent":true,"notes":null,"siteVisitInterval":30},"notes":null,"collection":[{"label":"1 - 5 beds","uri":null},{"label":"\u003E 5 places","uri":null},{"label":"Camera traps","uri":null},{"label":"Central station(s)","uri":null},{"label":"Other transmission types","uri":null},{"label":"Telephone line","uri":null},{"label":"Temperature Controlled Container","uri":null},{"label":"Vehicle 2WD","uri":null}],"data":{"policy":{"url":null,"rights":["The data provider must be offered co-authorship for publications using this dataset at least within the metadata description","Formal acknowledgement of the dataset providers"],"notes":null}}},"relatedResources":null,"projectRelated":{"lter":{"lterSiteClassification":"ltser"}}}}