Publications

2014
Levin N, Coll M, Kark S. Biodiversity data requirements for systematic conservation planning in the Mediterranean Sea. [Internet]. 2014. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Levin, Noam . et. al.– 21 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, supplementary material http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps10857 ; The Mediterranean Sea’s biodiversity and ecosystems face many threats due to anthropogenic pressures. Some of these include human population growth, coastal urbanization, accelerated human activities, and climate change. To enhance the formation of a science-based system of marine protected areas in the Mediterranean Sea, data on the spatial distribution of ecological features (abiotic variables, species, communities, habitats, and ecosystems) is required to inform conservation scientists and planners. However, the spatial data required is often lacking. In this review, we aimed to address the status of [...]
Frantzman SJ, Levin N, Kark R. Counting Nomads: British Census Attempts and Tent Counts of the Negev Bedouin 1917 to 1948. Population, Space and Place [Internet]. 2014;(6) :552. Publisher's VersionAbstract
To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/psp.1795/abstract Byline: Seth J. Frantzman, Noam Levin, Ruth Kark ABSTRACT The census of nomadic populations poses a challenge for governing authorities. In 1945, the British Mandatory government of Palestine developed a novel method to enumerate the nomadic Bedouin population of the Negev. By using aerial reconnaissance photography to augment conventional methods, they counted the tents of the tribesmen and marked them on a small scale map. This represented the culmination of years of British efforts to estimate the nomadic population of Palestine's largest administrative area, the Beersheba subdistrict of the Negev Desert, between 1917 and 1948. The aims of this paper were to chronicle, examine, and evaluate the British Mandatory estimates and censuses of the Bedouin population of the Negev undertaken in 1922, 1931, and 1946, and to compare them with thei
Levin N, Johansen K, Hacker JM, Phinn S. A new source for high spatial resolution night time images — The EROS-B commercial satellite. Remote Sensing of Environment [Internet]. 2014;149 :1 - 12. Publisher's VersionAbstract
City lights present one of humankind's most unique footprints on Earth as seen from space. Resulting light pollution from artificial lights obscures the night sky for astronomy and has negative impacts on biodiversity as well as on human health. However, remote sensing studies of night lights to date have been mostly limited to coarse spatial resolution sensors such as the DMSP-OLS. Here we present a new source for high spatial resolution mapping of night lights from space, derived from a commercial satellite. We tasked the Israeli EROS-B satellite to acquire two night-time light images (at a spatial resolution of 1m) of Brisbane, Australia, and analyzed their radiometric quality and content with respect to land cover and land use. The spatial distribution of night lights as imaged by EROS-B corresponded with night-time images acquired by an airborne camera, although EROS-B was not as sensitive to low light levels. Using land cover and land use data at the statistical local area level
2013
Yizhaq H, Ashkenazy Y, Levin N, Tsoar H. Spatiotemporal model for the progression of transgressive dunes. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications [Internet]. 2013;392 :4502 - 4515. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Transgressive dune fields, which are active sand areas surrounded by vegetation, exist on many coasts. In some regions like in Fraser Island in Australia, small dunes shrink while large ones grow, although both experience the same climatic conditions. We propose a general mathematical model for the spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation cover on sand dunes and focus on the dynamics of transgressive dunes. Among other possibilities, the model predicts growth parallel to the wind with shrinkage perpendicular to the wind, where, depending on geometry and size, a transgressive dune can initially grow although eventually shrink. The larger is the initial area the slower its stabilization process. The model’s predictions are supported by field observations from Fraser Island in Australia.
Levin N. Survey of Western Palestine 1880, Palestine Exploration Fund 1:63,360 mosaicked map. [Internet]. 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract
The Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF) Survey of Western Palestine (1871-1877) is highly praised for its accuracy and completeness; the first systematic analysis of its planimetric accuracy was published by Levin (2006). To study the potential of these 1:63,360 maps for a quantitative analysis of land cover changes over a period of time, Levin has compared them to 20th century topographic maps. The map registration error of the PEF maps was 74.4 m using 123 control points of trigonometrical stations and a 1st order polynomial. The median RMSE of all control and test points (n = 1104) was 153.6 m. Following [...]
Micheli F, Levin N, Giakoumi S, Katsanevakis S, ABDULLA A, Coll M, Fraschetti S, Kark S, KOUTSOUBAS D, Mackelworth P, et al. Setting Priorities for Regional Conservation Planning in the Mediterranean Sea. [Internet]. 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Spatial prioritization in conservation is required to direct limited resources to where actions are most urgently needed and most likely to produce effective conservation outcomes. In an effort to advance the protection of a highly threatened hotspot of marine biodiversity, the Mediterranean Sea, multiple spatial conservation plans have been developed in recent years. Here, we review and integrate these different plans with the goal of identifying priority conservation areas that represent the current consensus among the different initiatives. A review of six existing and twelve proposed conservation initiatives highlights gaps in conservation and management planning, particularly within the southern and [...]
Levin N, Tulloch AIT, Gordon A, MAZOR T, Bunnefeld N, Kark S. Incorporating socioeconomic and political drivers of international collaboration into marine conservation planning. BioScience [Internet]. 2013;(7) :547. Publisher's Version
MAZOR T, Levin N, Possingham HP, Levy Y, Rocchini D, Richardson AJ, Kark S. Can satellite-based night lights be used for conservation? The case of nesting sea turtles in the Mediterranean. Biological Conservation [Internet]. 2013;159 :63 - 72. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Artificial night lights pose a major threat to multiple species. However, this threat is often disregarded in conservation management and action because it is difficult to quantify its effect. Increasing availability of high spatial-resolution satellite images may enable us to better incorporate this threat into future work, particularly in highly modified ecosystems such as the coastal zone. In this study we examine the potential of satellite night light imagery to predict the distribution of the endangered loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtle nests in the eastern Mediterranean coastline. Using remote sensing tools and high resolution data derived from the SAC-C satellite and the International Space Station, we examined the relationship between the long term spatial patterns of sea turtle nests and the intensity of night lights along Israel’s entire Mediterranean coastline. We found that sea turtles nests are negatively related to night light intensity a
Janse Van Rensburg B, Levin N, Kark S. Are environmental transitions more prone to biological invasions? [Internet]. 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract
AIM To examine whether at a subcontinental-scale ecotonal areas of transition between vegetation communities are at higher risk of plant invasion. LOCATION South Africa and Lesotho. METHODS Using plant data on native and established alien species in South Africa, we examined the relationship between plant richness (native and alien) in each grid cell (quarter-degree resolution) in the study area and the distance of the grid cell to the nearest ecotone between vegetation communities. We used a residual analysis to estimate each grid cell’s relative invasibility (i.e. susceptibility to invasion) relative to its ecotone distance. We further explored the relative importance [...]
Levin N, Watson JEM, Joseph LN, Grantham HS, Hadar L, Apel N, Perevolotsky A, DeMalach N, Possingham HP, Kark S. A framework for systematic conservation planning and management of Mediterranean landscapes. Biological Conservation [Internet]. 2013;158 :371 - 383. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Active and dynamic management of biodiversity is of utmost importance in the face of increasing human pressures on nature. Current approaches for site selection of protected areas often assume that both conservation features and management actions are fixed in space and time. However, this approach should be revised to allow for spatio-temporal shifts of biodiversity features, threats and management options. Our aim here was to demonstrate a novel approach for systematic conservation planning at a fine scale that incorporates dynamic ecological processes (e.g., succession), biodiversity targets and management costs. We used the new ‘Marxan with Zones’ decision support tool to spatially redistribute the major structural types of vegetation within a privately-owned nature park in Israel and facilitate the achievement of multiple conservation targets for minimum cost. The park is located in the Mediterranean climate region of the eastern Mediterranean Basin, one of Earth’s richest biodiv
2012
Hugenholtz CH, Levin N, Barchyn TE, Baddock MC. Remote sensing and spatial analysis of aeolian sand dunes: A review and outlook. Earth-Science Reviews [Internet]. 2012;111 :319 - 334. Publisher's VersionAbstract
For more than four decades remote sensing images have been used to document and understand the evolution of aeolian sand dunes. Early studies focused on mapping and classifying dunes. Recent advances in sensor technology and software have allowed investigators to move towards quantitative investigation of dune form evolution and pattern development. These advances have taken place alongside progress in numerical models, which are capable of simulating the multitude of dune patterns observed in nature. The potential to integrate remote sensing (RS), spatial analysis (SA), and modeling to predict the future changes of real-world dune systems is steadily becoming a reality. Here we present a comprehensive review of significant recent advances involving RS and SA. Our objective is to demonstrate the capacity of these technologies to provide new insight on three important research domains: (1) dune activity, (2) dune patterns and hierarchies, and (3) extra-terrestrial dunes. We outline how
Levin N, Legge S, Price B, Bowen M, Litvack E, Maron M, McAlpine C. MODIS time series as a tool for monitoring fires and their effects on savanna bird diversity. [Internet]. 2012. Publisher's Version
Levin N, Duke Y. High spatial resolution night-time light images for demographic and socio-economic studies. Remote Sensing of Environment [Internet]. 2012;119 :1 - 10. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Satellite derived night-time lights have been used to study global economic and demographic differences between countries. The majority of studies to date have used the coarse spatial resolution datasets of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). In this study, we hypothesize that night-time lights can serve as an indicator for demographic and socio-economic properties of built-up areas at a local scale. We used night-time light images acquired by the American DMSP (2003, 2.7km), Argentinean SAC-C (2007, 300m) and photographs taken by astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS; 2003, 60m). We compared the night-time lights of built-up areas based on their geographical location (Israel and the West Bank) and their population (Jewish and Arab). Israeli localities were better lit than West Bank localities, corresponding to the difference in the gross domestic product of the two entities. No difference was found in the night-time lights brightness of Jewish and Arab
Levin N, Heimowitz A. Landsat derived percent vegetation cover of Israel (as of 2003). [Internet]. 2012. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Wildfires are part of the Mediterranean ecosystem, however, in Israel all wildfires are human caused, either intentionally or un-intentionally. In this study we aimed to develop and test a new method for mapping fire scars from MODIS imagery, to examine the temporal and spatial patterns of wildfires in Israel in the 2000s and to examine the factors controlling Israel's wildfire regime. To map the fires we used two 'off-the-shelf' MODIS fire products as our basis-the 1 km MODIS Collection 5 fire hotspots, the 500 m MCD45A1 burnt areas-and we created a new set of fire scar maps from the 250 [...]
Levin N, Heimowitz A. Landsat derived percent vegetation cover of Israel (as of 2003), supplement to: Levin, Noam; Heimowitz, Aliza (2012): Mapping spatial and temporal patterns of Mediterranean wildfires from MODIS. Remote Sensing of Environment, 126, 12-26. [Internet]. 2012. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Abstract ; Wildfires are part of the Mediterranean ecosystem, however, in Israel all wildfires are human caused, either intentionally or un-intentionally. In this study we aimed to develop and test a new method for mapping fire scars from MODIS imagery, to examine the temporal and spatial patterns of wildfires in Israel in the 2000s and to examine the factors controlling Israel's wildfire regime. To map the fires we used two 'off-the-shelf' MODIS fire products as our basis-the 1 km MODIS Collection 5 fire hotspots, the 500 m MCD45A1 burnt areas-and we created a new set of fire scar maps from [...]
Portman ME, Nathan D, Levin N. From the Levant to Gibraltar: A Regional Perspective for Marine Conservation in the Mediterranean Sea. [Internet]. 2012. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are critical to the well-being of threatened ecosystems and thus can be highly beneficial to humans, especially to those residing nearby. We explore the qualities of 117 MPAs in the Mediterranean basin and develop a taxonomy of their characteristics. We relate the spatial distribution of the MPAs to the various characteristics of the taxonomy (size, distance from shore, protection levels, management regimes, etc.) and to areas of high human impact and influence levels. To do this we use information on biogeographic regions and information from two different human influence models; one model developed for the marine [...]
GIAKOUMI S, MAZOR T, Fraschetti S, Kark S, Portman M, Coll M, STEENBEEK J, POSSINGHAM H, ABDULLA A, AGARDY T, et al. Advancing marine conservation planning in the Mediterranean Sea. [Internet]. 2012. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Twenty leading scientists in the field of marine conservation planning attended the first international workshop on conservation planning in the Mediterranean Sea. This globally significant biodiversity hotspot has been subjected to human exploitation and degradation for 1,000s of years. Recently, several initiatives have tried to identify priority areas for conservation across the Mediterranean Sea. However, none of these efforts have led to large-scale actions yet. The aim of the workshop was to establish a network of scientists who are involved in large-scale conservation planning initiatives throughout the Mediterranean basin to promote collaboration and reduce redundancy in conservation initiatives. The three [...]
2011
Levanoni O, Levin N, Pe'er G, Turbe A, Kark S. Can we predict butterfly diversity along an elevation gradient from space? [Internet]. 2011. Publisher's Version
Levin N. Climate-driven changes in tropical cyclone intensity shape dune activity on Earth's largest sand island. Geomorphology [Internet]. 2011;125 :239 - 252. Publisher's VersionAbstract
In this study historical aerial photos and detailed climatic time series are used to show the geomorphological consequences of a significant decrease in tropical cyclone frequency and intensity in eastern Australia since the early 1980s, leading to rapid dune stabilization on Earth's largest sand island and a World Heritage Site, Fraser Island, Australia. It is shown that cyclone frequency and intensity significantly declined in eastern Australia (south of 20°S) since the early 1980s, corresponding with the shift to a positive phase of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (in 1977) and an increased frequency of ENSO events since 1982–83. Using historical aerial photos and remote sensing techniques it is shown that most of Fraser Island's transgressive dune fields were advancing inland during the period between 1948 and 1982, and that tropical cyclones in that period were strong enough to initiate small blow outs (<1ha). However, the decline in sand drift potential by wind since 1982 r
2010
Rocchini D, Balkenhol N, Carter GA, Foody GM, Gillespie TW, He KS, Kark S, Levin N, Lucas K, Luoto M, et al. Remotely sensed spectral heterogeneity as a proxy of species diversity: Recent advances and open challenges. Ecological Informatics [Internet]. 2010;5 (Special Issue on Advances of Ecological Remote Sensing Under Global Change) :318 - 329. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Environmental heterogeneity is considered to be one of the main factors associated with biodiversity given that areas with highly heterogeneous environments can host more species due to their higher number of available niches. In this view, spatial variability extracted from remotely sensed images has been used as a proxy of species diversity, as these data provide an inexpensive means of deriving environmental information for large areas in a consistent and regular manner. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the state of the art in the use of spectral heterogeneity for estimating species diversity. We will examine a number of issues related to this theme, dealing with: i) the main sensors used for biodiversity monitoring, ii) scale matching problems between remotely sensed and field diversity data, iii) spectral heterogeneity measurement techniques, iv) types of species taxonomic diversity measures and how they influence the relationship between spectral and species d

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