Dr.
Noam Levin, Head of the Remote Sensing and Aeolian Geomorphology Lab
Dr.
Noam Levin, Head of the Remote Sensing and Aeolian Geomorphology Lab
Tel: 972-2-5881078; Fax: 972-2-5820549
Email: noamlevin@mscc.huji.ac.il
Department of Geography,
Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel.
Room number: 4620
Positions IN ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS
A slipface of an active dune in
Wungul sand blow, Fraser Island, Australia
I study geographical and environmental patterns and processes of land cover changes in the face of human and climate induced changes using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools. I combine field work, remote sensing of satellite images, spatial analysis of GIS layers, statistical analyses and modeling. My current research focuses on aeolian processes, biodiversity and conservation planning over spatial scales from local to global. I also have a great interest (since childhood) in maps, and exploring new methods to analyze spatial information, from historical maps, GIS layers, aerial photographs and satellite images.
In addition I have a great affinity to South America in general and Brazil in particular. Here are two of my favorite Brazilian songs:
The girl from ipanema, by Antonio Carlos Jobim
Voce diz que amar e crime, by Dorival Caymmi
Arcuate vegetated dune ridges, Lencois Maranhenses, Brazil
POSITIONS IN ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS
2008 Senior Lecturer
The Department of Geography
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91905
Israel
Summer 2009 Visiting fellow
at Centre for Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Science (CRSSIS) in the School of
Geography, Planning and Environmental Management at the University of Queensland, Australia.
Summer 2008 Visiting fellow
at Centre for Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Science (CRSSIS) in the School of
Geography, Planning and Architecture at the University of Queensland, Australia.
2007 Rothschild post-doctoral fellow at Centre for
Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Science (CRSSIS) in the School of
Geography, Planning and Architecture at the University of Queensland, Australia.
2005-2006 Kreitman Post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Geography and
Environmental Development in Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer Sheva,
Israel.
2002-2004
GIS research with Prof. Avi Shmida, at Rotem – Israel Plant
Information Center, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Host: Prof. Stuart Phinn.
Host: Prof. Stuart Phinn.
Host: Prof. Stuart Phinn.
Research subject: "The palaeoclimate and environmental implications of the
aeolian sand encroachments into the coast of Ceara State, NE Brazil." Host:
Prof. Haim Tsoar.
1997-1998 Research assistant at the Remote Sensing Laboratory, Department of Geography and Human Environment, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
1995-2002 Head of Geographic Information System (GIS) Unit of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI)
Interdune lake, NE Brazil
2005 - Ph.D. Tel-Aviv University
Department of Geography and Human Environment
Advisors: Prof. Eyal Ben-Dor and Dr. Giora Kidron
2002 - M.A. Tel-Aviv University
Department of Geography and Human Environment (summa cum laude)
Advisor: Prof. Eyal Ben-Dor
1996 - B.A. Tel-Aviv University
Geography
A sand blow on Fraser Island,
Queensland, Australia
2008 – Alon Fellowship for Outstanding Young Researchers.
2007/8 – Won the Porter post-doctoral fellowship of the Porter School of Environmental Studies, Tel Aviv University
2006/7 – Won the American Fulbright post-doctoral fellowship.
2006/7 – Rothschild post-doctoral fellowship.
2005-2007 – Kreitman post-doctoral fellowship, Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
2005 –
Travel grant to the 19th annual meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology,
held in
Brasilia, Brazil, in July 2005.
2004 – Aranne scholarship of the School of History, Tel Aviv University.
2004 – Nina Efrat and Daniel Rotenberg scholarship, Faculty of Humanities, Tel Aviv University.
2003 – Ziva and Hanoch Finkelstein scholarship.
1996 – Tel Aviv University Rector’s Prize for excellence in studies.
1995 – Tel Aviv University Rector’s Prize for excellence in studies.
1994 – Faculty of Humanities Dean’s Prize for excellence in studies.
Wungul sand blow, Fraser
Island, Australia
Knifeblade sand blow, Fraser
Island,
Australia
Reviewer of manuscripts for:
Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece
Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing
Community Ecology
Diversity and Distributions
Folia Geobotanica
Global and Planetary Change
International Journal of Remote Sensing
Journal of Arid Environments
Journal of Environmental Management
Landscape and Urban Planning
Proceedings of the Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand
Remote Sensing of Environment
Sand ripples between
Artemisia monosperma bushes, Nizzanim Dunes, Israel
Advanced Remote Sensing (40770, Bachelor’s + Master’s)
Introduction to Cartography (40107, Bachelor’s)
Introduction to Environmental Geography (40111, Bachelor’s)
Introduction to Remote Sensing (40332, Bachelor’s + Master’s)
Seminar in Physical Geography (40888, Yearly, Bachelor’s + Master’s)
Transverse dunes and arcuate
vegetated dune ridges, Lencois Maranhenses, Brazil
Levin N. and Saaroni H. (1999), “Fire weather in Israel - Synoptic climatological analysis”, Geo Journal, Vol. 47, No. 4, 523-538.
Ben-Dor E. and Levin N. , (2000), "Determination of surface reflectance from raw hyperspectral data without simultaneous ground data measurements: a case study of the GER 63-channel sensor data acquired over Naan, Israel", International Journal of Remote Sensing, 21:10, pp. 2053-2074.
Ben-Dor E., Levin N. and Saaroni H. (2001), “A spectral based recognition of the urban environment using the visible and near-infrared spectral region (0.4-1.1 μm). A case study over Tel-Aviv, Israel”, International Journal of Remote Sensing, 22:11, pp. 2193-2218.
Levin N., Ben-Dor E. and Kidron G.J. (2003), ”The influence of human factors on the temporal changes in the stabilization rate of the Ashdod-Nizzanim dunes”, Horizons in Geography, 57-58, pp. 224-241 (in Hebrew; abstract in English in p. viii).
Levin N., Ben-Dor E. and Karnieli A. (2004), “Topographic Information of Sand Dunes as Extracted from Shading Effects Using Landsat Images”, Remote Sensing of Environment, 90, pp. 190-209.
Levin N. and Ben-Dor E. (2004), "Monitoring sand dune stabilization along the coastal dunes of Ashdod-Nizanim, Israel, 1945-1999”, Journal of Arid Environments, 58, pp. 335-355.
Ben-Dor E., Levin N., Singer A., Karnieli A., Braun O. and Kidron G. (2006), “Quantitative Mapping of the Soil Rubification Process on Sand Dunes Using an Airborne CASI Hyperspectral Sensor”, Geoderma, 131, pp. 1-21.
Levin N. (2006), "The Palestine Exploration Fund map (1871-1877) of the Holy Land as a tool for analyzing landscape changes: the coastal dunes of Israel as a case study", The Cartographic Journal, 43 (1), pp. 45-67.
Levin N., Kidron G.J. and Ben-Dor E. (2006), “The spatial and temporal variability of sand erosion across a stabilizing coastal dune field”, Sedimentology, 53, pp. 697-715.
Holzapfel C., Levin N., Hatzofe O. and Kark S., (2006), “Colonisation of the Middle East by the invasive Common Myna Acridotheres tristis L., with special reference to Israel”, Sandgrouse, 28 (1), pp. 44-51.
Levin N., Lahav H., Ramon U., Heller A., Nizry G., Tsoar A., and Sagi Y. (2007), "Landscape continuity analysis: A new approach to conservation planning in Israel", Landscape and Urban Planning, 79, pp. 53-64.
Kark S., Allnutt T.F., Levin N., Manne L.L. and Williams P.H., (2007), "The role of transitional areas as avian biodiversity centers", Global Ecology and Biogeography, 16, pp. 187-196.
Levin N., Tsoar H., Maia L.P., Claudino-Sales V. and Herrmann H. (2007) "Dune whitening and inter-dune fresh water ponds in NE Brazil", Catena, 70, pp. 1-15.
Levin, N., Lugassi, R., Ramon U., Braun O. and Ben-Dor E, (2007) “Remote sensing as a tool for monitoring plasticulture in agricultural landscapes”, International Journal of Remote Sensing, 28 (1), pp. 183-202.
Levin N., Shmida A., Levanoni O., Tamari H. and Kark S., (2007) "Predicting mountain plant richness and rarity from space using satellite-derived vegetation indices", Diversity and Distributions, 13, 692-703. doi: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2007.00372.x
Levin N. and Shmida A., (2007) "Determining conservation hotspots across biogeographic regions using rainfall belts: Israel as a case study ", Israel Journal of Ecology & Evolution. 53, 33-58.
Bino G., Levin N., Darawshi S., van der Hal N., Reich-Solomon A. and Kark S., (2008) "Landsat derived NDVI and spectral unmixing accurately predict bird species richness patterns in an urban landscape", International Journal of Remote Sensing, 29, 3675-3700. DOI: 10.1080/01431160701772534.
Levin N., Kidron G.J. and Ben-Dor E. (2008) “A field quantification of the adaptations of costal dune plants to erosion and deposition of sand”, Sedimentology. 55, 751-772. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3091.2007.00920.x
Levin N., Ben-Dor E., Kidron G.J. and Yaakov Y., (2008) “Prediction of surface roughness (z0) over a stabilizing coastal dune field based on vegetation and topography”, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 33, 1520-1541. Published article online. doi: 10.1002/esp.1621.
Kark S., Levin N. and Phinn, S. (2008) “Global environmental priorities: making sense of remote sensing”, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 23, 181-182. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2008.01.001.
Levin N., Tsoar H., Maia L.P., Claudino-Sales V. and Herrmann H.J., (2008) "Lagoas costeiras interdunares e branquamento de dunas no Nordeste do Brasil", Mercator, 14, 143-166.
Van Rensburg, B., Levin, N., and Kark, S. (2009) “Spatial congruence between ecotones and range restricted species: implications for conservation biogeography at the national scale”. Diversity and Distributions, 15, 379-389.
Tsoar H., Levin N., Porat N., Maia L.P., Herrmann H.J., Tatumi S.H., Claudino-Sales V.C. (2009) "The effect of climate change on the mobility and stability of coastal sand dunes in Ceará State (NE Brazil). Quaternary Research, 71, 217-226.
Levin N., Tsoar, H., Herrmann, H.J., Claudino-Sales, V., and Maia, L.P. (2009) "Modeling the formation of arcuate vegetated dune ridges behind barchan dunes in NE Brazil", Sedimentology, 56, 1623-1641 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3091.2009.01048.x
Levin, N., McAlpine, C., Phinn, S., Price, P., Pullar, D., Law, B., and Kavanagh, R.P., (2009) “Mapping forest patches and scattered trees from SPOT images and testing their ecological importance for woodland birds in a fragmented agricultural landscape”. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 30 (12), 3147-3169, doi: 10.1080/01431160802558782.
Levin, N., Kark, R. and Galili E., (in press) "Historical maps and GIS: mapping of southern Palestine 1799-1948, issues of scale and accuracy and possible applications", Journal of Historical Geography, doi: 10.1016/j.jhg.2009.04.001.
Levin, N., Elron, E., and Gasith, A. (2009) “Decline of wetland ecosystems in the coastal plain of Israel during the 20th century: implications for wetland conservation and management”. Landscape and Urban Planning, 92, 220-232, doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2009.05.009.
Kark, S., Levin, N., Grantham, H. and Possingham, H. (2009) “Between-country collaboration and consideration of costs increase conservation planning efficiency in the Mediterranean Basin”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106, 15360-15365.
Levin N. (1999), Fundamentals of Remote Sensing, a book compiled using Internet resources, articles and personal knowledge. 225p.
Lahav H., Levin N., Sagi Y. and Katz S. (1999), Sustainable Development of Ramat HaNadiv and its Environs: Nature, Landscape and Landuse Resources, SPNI – Open Landscape Institute (in Hebrew).
Lahav H. and Levin N. (2001), Tirat HaKarmel Coast: a Nature and Landscape Resources Survey, Survey Unit of the SPNI (in Hebrew).
Ramon U., Rapaport A., Mordi A., Shizer D., Dolev A., Alon D., Sagi Y., Yitzhaki G. and Levin N. (2001), The Kinneret, its Beaches and Environs: Survey, Analysis and Evaluation of Nature and Landscape Resources, Surveys Unit of the SPNI, 86p. (in Hebrew).
Frumkin-Ahiron T., Frumkin R., Roudich R., Melloul A., Levin N. and Papay N. (2003), Conservation of the Coastal Sand Dunes – a Policy Report, The Surveys Unit – Open Landscape Institute – The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, The Ministry of Environment, The Nature and Parks Authority, The Jewish National Fund, The Water Commission and the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 126 p. (in Hebrew).
Levin N., Ben-Dor E. and Kidron G.J. (2003), ”The influence of human factors on the temporal changes in the stabilization rate of the Ashdod-Nizzanim dunes”, in Greenbaum N., Lekach J. and Inbar M. (Eds.): Asher Schick Volume: Current Aspects of Rainfall-Runoff-Sediment Relations in Israel, published by the editorial of the Horizons in Geography Journal, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Haifa, Israel, pp. 224-241 (in Hebrew; abstract in English in p. viii).
Frumkin R., Shmida A., Sapir Y., Fragman-Sapir O. and Levin N. (2004), Extinct species in Israel, in the Israeli version of the book Vital Signs 2003 (ed. by Frumkin R., Khenin D. and Eidelman A.), Heschel Center and the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, Israel, pp. 41-43.
REMOTE SENSING AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS TEXTS
Levin N. (1999), Modtran 3 Hebrew Manual, a manual written in Hebrew concerning the use of the Modtran atmospheric model for the atmospheric correction of satellite images (in Hebrew).
Levin N. (2000), Hydrographic Mapping – From Nautical Charts to Electronic Charts and Beyond, prepared for a seminar given at the department of Geography, January 11th, 2000, 39p. (in Hebrew).
Levin N. (2000), Hydrographic Mapping – Processing Hydrographic Databases of Depths, prepared for a presentation given at the Survey of Israel, January 31st, 2000, 25p. (in Hebrew).
Levin N. (2003), Basic Principles of GIS and Remote Sensing, prepared for an intensive three days course given to students and members of the Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, October 2003, 43 p. (in Hebrew).
Levin N. (2003), A Basic Course for Using ArcGIS, prepared for an intensive three days course given to students and members of the Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, October 2003, 85 p. (in Hebrew).