An increase of early rains in Southern Israel following land-use change?

The October rains (at the onset of the rainy season that extends to April) in southern Israel have steeply increased in the last quarter century relative to the prior two decades. A less pronounced, but appreciable, increase is noted for the rest of the rainy season. This apparent reversal of desertification is attributed here to land use changes. Afforestation, increased cultivation and limitations on grazing after the establishment of the State of Israel resulted in an increased vegetation cover over the inherently high-albedo soils in this region (an area of 10⁴ km²). The changes are shown in a July 1985 Landsat image of the area.The increase in precipitation is specifically attributed to intensification of the dynamical processes of convection and advection resulting from plant-induced enhancement of thedaytime sensible heat flux from the generally dry surface. This enhancement results both from the reduced surface albedo and the reduced soil heat flux (reduced day-to-night heat storage in the soil) in October when insolation is strong. Stronger daytime convection can lead to penetration of the inversions capping the planetary boundary layer (which are weaker in October than in summer) while strengthened advection (sea breeze) can provide moist air from the warm Mediterranean Sea. This suggested mechanism is consistent with previous studies showing that the autumn rains in southern Israel exhibit convective mesoscale characteristics and occur predominantly in the daytime. However, other causes, such as a shift in the synoptic-scale circulation, cannot be ruled out at this stage.     

Climatic Variations In The Moisture and Instability Patterns Of The Atmospheric Boundary Layer On The East Mediterranean Coastal Plain Of Israel

A long-term record (1964–1995) of radiosonde data observed atthe Bet-Dagan aerological station of the Israel Meteorological Service was analyzed to detect possible temporal trends in moisture content and instability of the atmospheric boundary layer. Bet-Dagan issituated in the central part of the south-east Mediterranean coastal plain. During this period surface characteristics in this region have changed drastically due to changes in land use, i.e., urbanization, development of irrigated agriculture and afforestation. The analysis of the radiosonde data reveals a clearly defined, statistically significant, increasing trend in the moisture content, mainly during summer. The stability of the surface layer, characterized by the bulk Richardson Number, shows adecreasing trend since the early 1960s. Relationships between these trends, land-use modifications and possible influence of large-scale influence are discussed.     

Investigation of the planetary boundary layer height variations over complex terrain

The effects of sea-breeze interactions with synoptic forcing on the PBL height over complex terrain are investigated through the use of a 3-D mesoscale numerical model. Two of the results are as follows. First, steep PBL height gradients—order of 1500 m over a grid interval of 10 km — are associated with the sea-breeze front and are enhanced by the topography. Second, a significant horizontal shift in the maximum PBL height relative to the mountains, is induced by a corresponding displacement of the thermal ridge due to the mountains, in the presence of large scale flow.