Earth Sciences Division Staff: Naama Raz-Yaseef

Biographical Summary

Most of my scholarly work can be affiliated with the discipline of ecohydrology. This discipline focuses on water exchange within the bedrock/soil – plant – atmosphere continuum. Ecohydrology is a highly interdisciplinary field, and my research draws methods and insights from the disciplines of geology, geomorphology, hydrology, micrometeorology and plant physiology. The physical and chemical processes involving this continuum can be investigated at small to global scales, and while I have dealt with both ends, I am especially fascinated by how vegetation organizes itself in the landscape scale with regards to water. I seek to understand the complex feedbacks between water, vegetation and landscape, and to understand the ecosystem as a whole. One of the main objectives throughout my research has been to uncover the mechanisms that impart ecosystem resilience to human-induced changes, especially those related to climate change. In these times of global change, vegetation (both natural and agricultural) resilience is highly dependent upon climate change and management practices. I aspire to explore all of these broad connections between vegetation, people, water, climate and landscape. During the early phases of my career, I combined scientific research with environmental management occupation. I have done this due to a sense of commitment I have for the environment, and while this path has caused some delay in my academic career, I know it has improved and widened my environmental perspective.

Current and Past Research

• Postdoctoral Fellow  November 2012 - present
  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley
  Earth Sciences Division
  Research: “Arctic Ecosystems-Climate Feedbacks: Fieldwork and Modeling”. Advisor: Margaret Torn.
• Postdoctoral Fellow  2009 – 2012
  University of California, Berkeley
  Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management
  Research: “Ecosystems respond to drought conditions: the combined effect of maximum rooting depth and precipitation pattern on plant productivity”. Advisor: Dennis Baldocchi.

Education

2003 –2009 

• Doctor of Philosophy 
  Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
  Department of Environmental Science and Energy Research
  Thesis: “Partitioning of the evapotranspiration flux in a semi-arid forest”. Advisor: Dan Yakir.
• Master of Arts  
  Hebrew University, Israel
  Department of Geography
  Honors thesis: “Spatio-temporal scaling of rainfall-runoff relationships in a small watershed”.
  Advisor: Aaron Yair.
• Bachelor of Science
  Hebrew University, Israel
  Institute of Earth Sciences
  Major: Geology
  Minor: The history, philosophy and sociology of science

Professional Experience

• Postdoctoral Fellow            
  UC Berkeley, California
  Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management
  
  • Determining grass and oak tree sensitivity of to interannual variability in precipitation using ten years of measured evapotranspiration fluxes at a semi-arid savanna fluxnet site.
  • Developing a method to survey tree roots using ground penetrating radar. The objective was to determine profiles of root biomass with depth according to tree age and size.
  • Assessing model capability to recreate the measured sensitivity of the water fluxes to diurnal, seasonal and interannual climatic drivers using two bio-eco-physiological models (BEPS – J. Chen, and 3D-CANOAK – D. Baldocchi).
  • Further developing 3D-CANOAK model sub-routine to improve calculation of soil water retention curves.

• Research Assistant, Doctoral level
  Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
  Department of Environmental Science and Energy Research
  • Constructed a complete hydrological balance for a semi-arid pine afforestation.
  • Partitioned the evapotranspiration flux (eddy-flux measurements) into its components: tree transpiration (heat-pulse), soil evaporation (soil-chambers), and intercepted precipitation (rain funnels).
  • Developed a novel methodology to directly measure the spatial and temporal variability of soil evaporation based on soil chambers.
  • Assessed forest sensitivity to future precipitation based on current forest architecture.
  • Used stable water isotopes to determine tree water uptake depth.
  • Designed and implemented a maintenance routine for the fluxnet site.
• Research Assistant, Master level
  Hebrew University, Israel
  Department of Geography
  • Analyzed variations in rainfall-runoff relationships among hierarchical spatial scales, from slope plot to third order channel. The research used a fifteen year dataset of hydrological measurements at a small arid catchment in the Negev Desert.
  • Assisted in routine maintenance of the hydrological station.
• Research Assistant, Master level, part time            
  Hebrew University, Israel
  Department of Geography
  • Project: Meanders of the Jordan River. Advisor: Dr. Marwan Hassan.   
  • Developed expertise in mapping river meanders using aerial photography.
• Research Assistant, Bachelor level, part time
  Geological Survey of Israel
  GIS Department
  • Created geological maps with GIS tools from field survey information.

Honors and Awards

• NSF – FORCAST training grant        
• United States – Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development
• Fund (BARD) Postdoc Fellowship Program.        
• American Geophysical Union student travel grant        
• Rieger Fellow in Environmental Studies, Israel        
• Israeli Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences  best student presentation        
• Academic Excellence - Research Student Fellowship, Hebrew Univ.

Teaching and Supervision Experience

• Co-Supervisor
  UC Berkeley, California
  Co-supervised an under-graduate student thesis “Soil Hydrology and Ecological Design Alternatives”. 
• Co-Supervisor
  Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
  Co-supervised an undergraduate student conducting research on soil-atmosphere water fluxes.
  Co-supervised a summer student working with stable water isotopes.
• Guest Lecturer
  UC Berkeley, California
  Course: “Biometerology: Plant – Ecosystem – Atmosphere interactions (ESPM 129)”.
  Lecture: “Designing an ecohydrological field research site”.
• Series Lecturer
  The Davidson Center for Adult Science Education, Rehovot, Israel
  Hemda Center for Adult Science Education, Tel-Aviv, Israel
  Initiated, designed and taught an adult non-academic science lecture series: “Climate Change and the Hydrological Cycle”.                       
• Senior Teaching Assistant
  Hebrew University, Israel
  Course: “Introduction to Geomorphology”
  • In charge of a group of 4 teaching assistants. Led weekly meetings.
  • Developed and taught weekly exercises, labs or guest lectures.
  • Developed and guided a three-day field trip.
  • Developed and graded weekly assignments. Graded tests.
  • Managed weekly meetings with individual students.
• Teaching Assistant
  Hebrew University, Israel
  Course: “Geology of Israel”.
  Graded weekly assignments and tests.
• Teaching Assistant
  Hebrew University, Israel
  Course: “Air-photography and mapping”.
  Graded weekly assignments and tests.

Academic Training and Services

Training

Participant
Utrecht University, Netherlands
Advanced Training Summer Course: “Climate and the hydrological cycle”.

Services

• Convener
  American Geophysical Union Meeting, San-Francisco, USA
  Session: “Effects of Water Limitations on Water and Carbon Cycling of Terrestrial Ecosystems” (oral and poster sessions).
• Reviewer
  Peer-review Journals, including:
  Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, New Phytologist, Hydrological Processes, Journal of Geophysical Research . Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 
• Participant
  American Geophysical Union Meeting, San-Francisco, USA
  Future Focus Task Force Group, American Geophysical Union.
• Co-organizer
  Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
  German-Israeli joint Mini-Symposium on Forestry.
• Panelist
  Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
  Participated in a panel discussion on climate change, Environmental Science Symposium.
• Co-organizer
  Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
  Fifth Conference on Active Research by Environmental Science Students (CARESS).
• Grant Co-writing
  Scientific International Funds, including: NSF-hydrology, MIBA, JNF, MINERVA, GIF, GLOWA, BARD, Ministry of Agriculture, Israel.
• Volunteering Teacher
  Took part and taught in various programs, including preschool to high school students, geography teachers’ conferences, etc.

Field and Laboratory Skills

Hydrological balance measurements (runoff, throughfall, stemflow, sapflux). Isotope sampling (δ¹⁸O of soil water, organic material, air vapor), water distillation and isotopic analysis. Flux measurements with Licor 6400, utilization of respiration chamber for measurements of soil evaporation fluxes. Soil moisture and temperature measurements. Soil texture and density measurements. Ground penetrating radar survey and image processing. Electomagnetic Induction analysis. Database analysis and programing (Matlab).