Arnon Karnieli
Associated Professor
Head of Laboratory

The Remote Sensing Laboratory

Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Sede-Boker Campus 84990, ISRAEL

Telephone:+972-8-6596855

Fax:+972-8-6596805

E-mail: karnieli@bgu.ac.il

About me

Work is either fun or drudgery.  It depends on your attitude.  I like fun.

Colleen C. Barrett

After my return from the PhD studies at University of Arizona, USA, in 1988, I established the Remote Sensing Laboratory.  Due to the unique location of the laboratory in the desert fringe, it has been recognized by the US space agency (NASA) and other institutes around the world as a super-site for calibration/validation of satellite data.  Direct-broadcasting MODIS receiving station has been purchased for this application along with other optical instruments that continuously monitor the earth surface and the atmosphere. 

My main research interest is studying remote sensing applications of desertification and climate change processing.  The specific subject that can be pointed as my main contribution to the scientific community deals with the effect of biogenic soil crusts on remote sensing measurements.  In framework of this subject I gave a remote sensing perspective to the unique phenomenon of the visible contrast across the Israel-Egypt political border and also developed the Crust Index in order to distinguish between crusty and non-crusty ecosystems.

In addition, along the years I was involved in several activities related to the following topics:

A description and list of publications of these activities is detailed in the web-site of my Laboratory.

A different experience I have gained as being the chief scientist of the Israel-German future remote sensing satellite carrying a unique multispectral scanner (MSRS).  My main role in this research was to determine the location and width of the 12 spectral bands as well as to develop specific applications for the data (such as precision farming, water quality of inland and coastal water bodies, urban ecology, mining etc.).  Following this activity I was nominated by the Director of the Israel Space Agency (ISA) as the Principle Investigator of the Vegetation and Environment New Micro Spacecraft (Venms) that is a joint Israeli-French initiative for building and launching a new satellite for a combined scientific and technological mission.

One of the main events in my career was the organization of the international workshop on: Land cover/Land use Change and Water Management in Arid Regions:  Remote Sensing Applications in the Middle East.  The workshop took place in Sede Boker Campus (October 23-27, 2000).  As an output of this workshop I edited a special issue of International Journal of Remote Sensing (Vol. 23, No. 19, 2002) that contains a selection of papers dealing with remote sensing applications of the Middle East drylands.

 

What I learned

An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.

B. Franklin

 

B.A.    1979    Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.  Geography Department.

M.Sc.   1983    The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.  Physical Geography Section of the Earth Science Institute.

Advisors: Prof. Aaron Yair and Prof. Arie Issar

Thesis title:  Spatial variability of soil moisture regime over arid hillslopes.

Ph.D.    1988    University of Arizona, U.S.A.  The School of Renewable Resources.

Major:  Watershed management;  Minor:  Remote sensing.

Advisors:  Prof. Martin Fogel and Dr. Leonard Lane

Thesis title:  Storm runoff forecasting model incorporating spatial data.

 

What I teach

To teach is to learn twice.

Joubert

In the Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies (English)

In the Department for Geography and Environmental Development (Hebrew)

In the Electro-Optics Unit (Hebrew)

 

What I published

The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.

Sir William Bragg

A full list of my publications can be found in the web-site of my Laboratory.