The oasis effect in an extremely hot and arid climate: The case of southern Israel

O. Potchter; D. Goldman; D. Kadish; D. Iluz

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2008.03.004

The oasis effect in an extremely hot and arid climate: The case of southern Israel

O. Potchter, D. Goldman, D. Kadish, D. Iluz

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

61 Scopus citations

Abstract

One of the definitions of the 'oasis effect' is the reduction of temperature in an isolated moisture source surrounded by an arid area. This study examined the existence of the 'oasis effect' and its diurnal dynamics in a rural settlement in the Arava Valley, southern Israel, characterized by an extremely hot and dry climate. The study site included varied types of plant covering: a grove of native desert trees, areas planted with tropical and sub-tropical vegetation (garden trees, bushes and lawn) and date plantations. Experiments were conducted during three consecutive years (2004-2006) for a period of 4 days at the height of summer. Results obtained during all the three summers demonstrate that the settlement created an 'oasis effect', but its intensity was dependant on the combined influences of synoptic conditions, time of day and type of vegetation. During the late night, dawn and early morning, all types of vegetation created a cooling effect; however, this effect was more pronounced with sub-tropical garden vegetation (up to 4 °C) as compared to local desert trees. During the daytime, garden trees caused a weaker cooling effect up to 2 °C, while local desert trees had a warming effect up to 1.0 °C.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1721-1733
Number of pages	13
Journal	Journal of Arid Environments
Volume	72
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2008.03.004
State	Published - Sep 2008
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors extend their gratitude to Beit Berl Academic College and MOFET Institute for funding this research. The authors are grateful to Mr. Yaron Yaakov from the Geography Department, Tel Aviv University, for his technical assistance in conducting this study and preparation of the figures, and to Dr. Shabtai Cohen from the Volcani Institute for his valuable assistance and technical support. The authors also wish to thank the students from the Department of Environmental Science and Agriculture, Beit Berl Academic College, for their participation in the study.

Keywords

Arid climate
Cooling effect
Desert trees
Manmade oasis
Sub-tropical vegetation

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.jaridenv.2008.03.004

Cite this

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title = "The oasis effect in an extremely hot and arid climate: The case of southern Israel",

abstract = "One of the definitions of the 'oasis effect' is the reduction of temperature in an isolated moisture source surrounded by an arid area. This study examined the existence of the 'oasis effect' and its diurnal dynamics in a rural settlement in the Arava Valley, southern Israel, characterized by an extremely hot and dry climate. The study site included varied types of plant covering: a grove of native desert trees, areas planted with tropical and sub-tropical vegetation (garden trees, bushes and lawn) and date plantations. Experiments were conducted during three consecutive years (2004-2006) for a period of 4 days at the height of summer. Results obtained during all the three summers demonstrate that the settlement created an 'oasis effect', but its intensity was dependant on the combined influences of synoptic conditions, time of day and type of vegetation. During the late night, dawn and early morning, all types of vegetation created a cooling effect; however, this effect was more pronounced with sub-tropical garden vegetation (up to 4 °C) as compared to local desert trees. During the daytime, garden trees caused a weaker cooling effect up to 2 °C, while local desert trees had a warming effect up to 1.0 °C.",

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author = "O. Potchter and D. Goldman and D. Kadish and D. Iluz",

note = "Funding Information: The authors extend their gratitude to Beit Berl Academic College and MOFET Institute for funding this research. The authors are grateful to Mr. Yaron Yaakov from the Geography Department, Tel Aviv University, for his technical assistance in conducting this study and preparation of the figures, and to Dr. Shabtai Cohen from the Volcani Institute for his valuable assistance and technical support. The authors also wish to thank the students from the Department of Environmental Science and Agriculture, Beit Berl Academic College, for their participation in the study. ",

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N1 - Funding Information: The authors extend their gratitude to Beit Berl Academic College and MOFET Institute for funding this research. The authors are grateful to Mr. Yaron Yaakov from the Geography Department, Tel Aviv University, for his technical assistance in conducting this study and preparation of the figures, and to Dr. Shabtai Cohen from the Volcani Institute for his valuable assistance and technical support. The authors also wish to thank the students from the Department of Environmental Science and Agriculture, Beit Berl Academic College, for their participation in the study.

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The oasis effect in an extremely hot and arid climate: The case of southern Israel

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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