Ecological Research in the Lake Kinneret and Hula Valley (Israel) Ecosystems


Book Description

Recent studies are proposed to be included to present the actual role together with practical implementation of the ecosystems aimed at water supply, agricultural development, ecological services, lake fishery management, tourism. recreation and nature protection.







Landscape Architecture


Book Description

This book highlights the diverse nature of the scientific domains associated with landscape architecture. It emphasises the need to acknowledge that the contribution of each research domain is equally important, offering complementary development opportunities while enabling landscapes to fulfill their multiple functions and ecosystem services in an integrated way, underlining the relevance of theory, methods, and practice to promote sustainable landscape planning and design.




Agriculture, Recreation, Water Quality and Nature Protection in the Hula Valley, Israel


Book Description

The anxious search for agricultural income resources, and assurance of the national water supply in the northern newly created state of Israel initiated the national project of the Hula Drainage. The implementation of this project was accompanied as of today by research and monitoring of the ecological trait aimed at crop harvest improvement in the Hula valley and prevention of water quality deterioration in Lake Kinneret. Forty years later a reclamation project to improve the peat soil property and renovate the hydrological system was carried out. This book documents the scientific research carried out during this mega-ecological project. Several issues of the ecological renovation and its impact on the Hula valley management and water quality in lake Kinneret are presented in this book. The advantage and contribution of a newly created shallow lake Agmon-Hula to nutrient dynamics, and hydrological control, accompanied by avian presence, (among others, Cranes, Storks, Pelicans, Flamingoes) and plants renewal which enhanced, tourism; potential impact of nitrogen and sulfate migration from the Hula valley on the Kinneret water quality; the role of climate change on the ecology of the Hula Valley and the Kinneret nutrient availabilities and phytoplankton community; the subterranean migration of water and nutrients and water loss. Further proposals for future development are under consideration. This book presents a comprehensive practical management implementation of a long-term ecological project. Results of scientific and monitoring research which followed the project implementation benefit the international and national communities.




Ecosystem Services of Headwater Catchments


Book Description

This book addresses the evaluation of environmental impacts and services identified in headwaters of different eco-zones around the world. It presents 24 papers selected from contributions to recent meetings of the European Forestry Commission Working Party on the Management of Mountain Watersheds, which is coordinated by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). Through its biennial sessions and inter-session activities, the Working Party focuses on the continuous exchange of knowledge and experience between professionals in Europe and other regions of the world confronted with similar issues. The contributions have been updated and peer-reviewed, and the interdisciplinary team of authors includes experts from the fields of geography, hydrology, chemistry, biology, forestry, ecology and socio-economics. The participatory management of headwater catchments in Europe, Africa, America and Asia was the central theme of the articles, which were divided into four sessions: (1) Headwater Environment and Natural Resources, (2) Enhancing Environmental Services in Headwaters, (3) Environmental Services in the Changing World, and (4) New Challenges for Environmental Education and Active Citizenship. The practical applications shown in the book address the multi-resource concept. The book offers a unique and valuable resource for environmentalists, engineers, watershed planners and policymakers alike.




Environmental Challenges


Book Description

In the summer of 1999, an international group of experts convened in Jerusalem, Israel, in order to define the major environmental challenges facing humanity at the dawn of the new millennium and - where possible - propose ways of addressing them. Almost 50 selected articles are collected in the present book, which constitutes a striking interdisciplinary combination of state-of-the-art science with the latest views on environmental law, education, and international cooperation. Whilst a major fraction of the book is devoted to water-related issues (water quality monitoring, water and wastewater treatment, water-based international cooperation, and more), other sections deal with timely topics relating to air pollution, biodiversity, conservation, and education. The book is intended for environmental scientists, professionals, and students of all disciplines.




Water Policy in Israel


Book Description

This book deals with water policy in Israel. It offers a detailed examination of the main sources of Israel’s water, its principle consumers, the gap between supply and demand, and the complex, contentious work of analyzing and devising the nation’s water management and use policies. Water Policy in Israel is arranged in five broad sections: The dynamics of moving from one policy era to another; Supply management; Demand management; The importance of the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea; and Regional and global issues including water conflict and cooperation and climate change.




Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology


Book Description

The international journal Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology (E&H) has been created to promote the concept of Ecohydrology, which is defined as the study of the functional interrelations between hydrology and biota at the catchment scale. Ecohydrology extends from the molecular level to catchment-scale processes and is based on three principles: • framework (hydrological principle) - quantification and integration of hydrological and ecological processes at a basin scale; • target (ecological principle) - necessity of enhancing ecosystem absorbing capacity and ecosystem services; and • management tool (ecological engineering) – the use of ecosystem properties for regulation the interplay between hydrology and biota. The journal encourages the submission of manuscripts which adopt an integrative approach to aquatic sciences, explaining ecological and hydrological processes at a river-basin scale or propose practical applications of this knowledge. It will also consider papers in other hydrobiological fields. Especially welcome are papers on regulatory mechanism within biocenosis and the resistance and resilience of freshwater and costal zones ecosystems. There is no page charge for published papers. All submitted papers, written exclusively in English, should be original works, unpublished and not under consideration for publication elsewhere. All papers are peer-reviewed. The following types of papers are considered for publication in E&H: • original research papers • invited or submitted review papers, • short communications




Phytoplankton responses to human impacts at different scales


Book Description

Phytoplankton responses to human impact at different scales provides a state-of-the-art review of changes in the phytoplankton assemblages determined by human alterations of lakes and rivers. A wide spectrum of case studies describe the effects due to eutrophication and climate change, as well as other impacts connected with watershed management, hydrological alterations and introduction of non-indigenous species. The volume also includes two wide reviews on planktonic coccoid green algae and planktic heterocytous cyanobacteria. This book is addressed to ecologists and scientists involved in phytoplankton ecology and taxonomy. Many case studies provide a sound scientific basis of knowledge for a wise management of water bodies. Previously published in Hydrobiologia, vol. 698, 2012




Lake Kinneret


Book Description

This condensed volume summarizes updated knowledge on the warm-monomictic subtropical Lake Kinneret, including its geophysical setting, the dynamics of physical, chemical and biological processes and the major natural and anthropogenic factors that affect this unique aquatic ecosystem. This work expands on a previous monograph on Lake Kinneret published in 1978 and capitalizes on the outcome of more than 40 years of research and monitoring activities. These were intensively integrated with lake management aimed at sustainable use for supply of drinking water, tourism, recreation and fishery. The book chapters are aimed at the limnological community, aquatic ecologists, managers of aquatic ecosystems and other professionals. It presents the geographic and geological setting, the meteorology and hydrology of the region, continues with various aspects of the pelagic and the littoral systems. Finally, the last section of the book addresses lake management, demonstrating how the accumulated knowledge was applied in order to manage this important source of freshwater. The section on the pelagic system comprises the heart of the book, addressing the major physical processes, external and internal loading, the pelagic communities (from bacteria to fish), physiological processes and the major biogeochemical cycles in the lake.