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[Last updated:
February 15, 2010
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Curriculum VitaeEducation
Employment History
Professional Activities
|
1996: |
The Jacob Borenshtein Award for Excellence in Nature Resources Research |
1998: |
The Professor Eli Rawitz Endowment Scholarship Fund |
1997-1998: |
Inter-University Graduate Student Scholarship |
2005, 2006: |
The Helen Ungar Career Development Chair in Desert Hydrogeology |
Fellowships
1999, 2000: The Vaadia-BARD Postdoctoral Fellowship, $29,000
Lectures and Presentations at Meetings and Invited Seminars
Presentation of papers at conferences/meetings
1. Nativ, R., Adar, E. M., Dahan, O. and Geyh, M. A., 1992: Groundwater recharge
and solute migration into a desert aquitard. In: 6th International Symposium
on Water Tracing (6SWT), Karlstuhe, Germany.
2. Dahan, O., Nativ, R. and Adar, M. E., 1993: Water flow and solute migration
through unsaturated chalk-Avdat Group, Ramat Hovav. Israel Geological Society
Annual Meeting, Arad, Israel, pp.24.
3. Dahan, O., Nativ, R., Adar, M. E. and Berkowitz, B., 1996: New methodology
for the investigation of flow and transport processes through fractures in
the vadose zone. Israel Geological Society Annual Meeting, Eilat, Israel, pp.
19.
4. Dahan, O., Nativ, R., Adar, M. E. and Berkowitz, B., 1996: New methodology
for investigation of flow and transport processes through fractures in the
vadose zone. AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.
5. Dahan, O., Nativ, R., Adar, M. E. and Berkowitz, B., 1998: Flow through
fractures in vadose chalk. EGS General Assembly, Nice, France.
6. Dahan, O., Nativ, R., Adar, M. E. and Berkowitz, B., 1998: Flow through
fractures in vadose chalk. Israel Geological Society Annual Meeting, Mitzpe
Ramon, Israel, pp. 19.
7. Dahan, O., Nativ, R., Adar, M. E. and Berkowitz, B., 1998: Flow channeling
through fractures in vadose chalk. Mass Transport in Fractured Aquifers and
Aquitards, Copenhagen, Denmark, May 14-16, 2006.
8. Dahan, O., Nativ, R., Adar, M. E. and Berkowitz, B., 1998: Multi-tracers
test in fracture-flow of vadose chalk. AGU Spring Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts,
USA.
9. Nativ, R., Adar, M. E., Dahan, O., Weisbrod, N., Berkowitz, B. and Ronen,
D., 1999: Water flow and solute transport in porous fractured chalk. Dynamics
of Fluids in Fractured Rocks, LBNL, Berkeley, CA, USA, Feb 10-12, 1999.
10. Weisbrod, N., Dahan, O. Nativ, R. and Adar, E. M., 1999: The Influence
of wetting and drying cycles on fracture flow instability in unsaturated chalk.
AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.
11. Dahan, O. and Ronen, Z., 2000: Simultaneous use of seven fluorobenzoates
in multi-tracer tests. AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.
12. Dahan, O., Nativ, R., Adar, M. E. Bekowitz, B. and Ronen, Z., 2001: Water
flow through fractures in unsaturated chalk. In: Water and Contaminant and
Contaminant Transport in Fractured Aqutards – Workshop, May 22-24, 2001, Jerusalem,
Israel.
13. *Weisbrod, N., Dahan, O., Nativ, R. and Adar, M. A., 2002: Fracture flow
in the vadose zone: impact of particle release. Proc. Colloids and Colloid-Facilitated
Transport of Contaminants in Soils and Sediments, DIAS report, Denmark.
14. *Dahan, O., McDonald, E. and Young, M., 2002: Water content measurements
in the deep vadose zone using a new design and installation technique of TDR
probes. AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.
15. *Dahan, O., Nativ, R., Asaf, L. and Geyer, S., 2003: Quantity and quality
of groundwater recharge into the Coastal Plain Aquifer under undeveloped, agricultural
and urban setups. in: Application of Isotopes to the Assessment of Pollutant
Behavior in the Unsaturated Zone and Groundwater Protection. International
Atomic Energy Agency, Viena
16. *Dahan, O., McGraw, D., Adar, E., Pohll, G., Bahm, B. and Thomas, J., 2004:
Multi-variable mixing cell model as a calibration and validation tool for hydrogeologic
groundwater modeling. AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, USA.
17. *Shani, Y., Dahan, O., Enzel, Y. and Yechieli, Y., 2005: Floodwater percolation
and groundwater recharge in arid lands. Israel Geological Society Annual Meeting,
Mashabe Sade, Israel.
18. *Levi, L., Dahan, O., Weisbrod, N., Ronen Z., Adar E. and Casher R., 2005:
Soil and Groundwater contamination by organic pollutants from military industry.
Israel Geological Society Annual Meeting, Mashabe Sade, Israel.
19. *Rimon, Y., Dahan, O. and Nativ, R., 2005: Groundwater recharge of the
Coastal Plain Aquifer under different land uses. Israel Geological Society,
Annual Meeting, Mashabe Sade, Israel.
20. *Kuperman, G., Bar-Matthews, M., Enzel, Y., Ayalon, A., Dahan, O., Amit
and R., 2004: The hydrology and paleohydrology of Nahal Hazera, the northern
Arava and the reconstruction of flood clusters during Late Holocene. Israel
Geological Society Annual Meeting, Israel.
21. *Lev, H., Ronen, D., Weisbrod, N., Dahan, O. and Miltau R., 2005: Temporal
and spatial changes in concentrations of volatile organic compounds in the
unsaturated and saturated zones of the Coastal Plain aquifer in Tel Aviv. Israel
Geological Society Annual Meeting, Mashabe Sade, Israel.
22. *Levi, L., Dahan, O., Weisbrod, N., Ronen Z., Adar E. and Casher R., 2005:
Sorption and mobility of explosives in the Ramat Hasharon Area. ConSoil 2005,
9th International FZK / TNO, Bordeaux, France.
23. *Lev, H., Ronen, D., Weisbrod, N. and Dahan, O., 2005: Volatile organic
compounds in the unsaturated/saturated zone below a former metallurgic industrial
complex in the Costal Plain of Israel. ConSoil 2005, 9th International FZK
/ TNO, Bordeaux, France.
24. *Dahan, O., Rimon, Y. and Nativ, R., 2005: Real-time monitoring of infiltration
processes and groundwater recharge in an unconfined aquifer. GSA Annual Meeting,
Salt Lake City, USA
25. *Jacoby, Y., Grodek, T., Enzel, Y., McDonald, E., Dahan, O. and Porat,
N., 2005: Impact of large twentieth century floods on a hyperarid ephemeral
stream, Arava valley, Israel. GSA Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, USA.
26. *Nativ, R., Assaf, L., Rimon, Y., Dahan, O. and Geyer, S., 2005: Effects
of urbanization and agricultural activities on the chemical and isotopic compositions
of percolating water. GSA Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, USA.
27. *Shani, Y., Dahan O., Enzel, Y. and Yechieli, Y., 2005: Floodwater percolation
and groundwater recharge in arid lands. GSA Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City,
USA.
28. *Raanan, H., Ronen, D., Dahan, O., Weisbrod, N., Seiler, K. P. and Vengosh,
A., 2006: Chemical and isotopic profiles in the saturated zone as tools to
characterize flow in a homogeneous coastal aquifer. NGWA 2006 Ground Water
Summit, Texas, USA.
29. *Montag, M., Weisbrod, N., Dahan, O. and Erel, Y., 2005: Transport of chromium
in soil columns. Israel Society for Ecology and Environmental Quality Sciences,
Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel.
30. *Montag, M., Weisbrod, N., Dahan, O. and Erel, Y., 2005: Transport of chromium
in soil columns. ConSoil 2005, 9th International FZK / TNO, Bordeaux, France.
31. *Talby, R., Dahan, O., Yechieli, Y. and Enzel, Y., 2006: Floodwater infiltration
- results from a multi-tracer experiment. Groundwater for Sustainable Development
(IGC), New Delhi, India, Feb 1-4, 2006.
32. *Bohm, B., Thomas, J., Dahan, O., Ralston, J. and McKay, A., 2006: Groundwater
chemistry evolution under unsaturated zone sulfate salt dissolution in a Great
Basin lacustrine aquifer, Western United States. AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco,
California, USA.
33. *ãäï, ò., ùðé, é., àðæì, é. åéçéàìé, é., 2006: çìçåì îé ùéèôåðåú åäòùøú
îé úäåí áòøáä. éåí îãòé ëãåø äàøõ, îëåï ãåéãñåï ìçéðåê îãòé, ãöîáø 2006, îëåï
åéöîï ìîãò.
(Flood water infiltration and groundwater recharge at the Arava Valey
34. *Dahan, O. and Adar, M. E., 2006: Deep vadose zone sampler for detecting
leakage of oil and hazardous waste. From Invention and Development to Product
- From Research Institutes to the Water Industry, Sede Boqer, Israel. Nov 28-30,
2006.
35. *Lev-Wiener, H., Dahan, O., Weisbrod, N., Ronen, D., Nasser, A., Graber,
E. R. and Gerstl, Z., 2006: Spatial and temporal variations in the Concentrations
of VOCs in the unsaturated zone and the water-table region of the Coastal Plain
Aquifer. From Invention and Development to Product - From Research Institutes
to the Water Industry, Sede Boqer, Israel, Nov 28-30, 2006.
36. *Dahan, O., Rimon, Y., Tatarsky, B. and Talby, R., 2006: Deep vadose zone
monitoring system. TDR 2006: 3rd International Symposium and Workshop on Time
Domain Reflectometry for Innovative Soils Applications, Purdue University,
Indiana, USA.
37. *Tatarsky, B., Dahan, O., and Enzel, Y., 2007: Floodwater Infiltration
and Groundwater Recharge Underneath Ephemeral Channels in Arid Regions. Israel
Geological Society, Annual Meeting, Neve Zohar, Israel.
38. *Baram, S., Dahan, O., Arnon, S., Shore, L., Gross, A., Ronen, Z., Cohen,
K., 2007: The influence of dairy farm on ground water quality in the Coastal
Aquifer: preliminary results. Israel Geological Society, Annual Meeting, Neve
Zohar, Israel.
39. *Rimon, Y., Dahan, O., Nativ, R. and Adin, A., 2007: The impact of land
use on quantity and quality of groundwater recharge into the coastal plain
aquifer. Israel Geological Society, Annual Meeting, Neve Zohar, Israel.
40. *Boaz Acapulco Dahan, O., 2007: Vadose Zone Monitoring System as a Tool
for Groundwater Protection. AGU Joint assembly, Acapulco Mexico.
41. *Rimon, Y., Dahan, O. and Nativ, R., 2007: The Impact of Land use on the
Quantity and Quality of Groundwater Recharge into the Coastal Plain Aquifer,
Israel. AGU Joint assembly, Acapulco Mexico.
42. *Tatarsky, B., Dahan, O. and Enzel, Y., 2007: Dynamics of Floodwater Infiltration
and Groundwater Recharge Under Ephemeral Channels in Arid Regions. AGU Joint
assembly, Acapulco Mexico.
43. Mark DYNAMICS OF INFILTRATION FROM RESERVOIRS IN ARID LANDS
Seminar presentations at universities and institutions
1993: Water flow and solute migration in unsaturated fractured chalk. Weizmann
Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
1995: Contaminant migration through chalk at Ramat Hovav. Geological Survey
of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
1998: Water percolation through fractures in unsaturated chalk. Israel Geological
Survey, Jerusalem, Israel.
1999: Dynamics of water flow through unsaturated fractures. Desert Research
Institute, Reno, Nevada, USA.
2001: On the hydrological setup of a complex basin through its hydrochemical
puzzle. Israel Geological Survey, Jerusalem, Israel.
2001: Mixing Cell modeling approach at the Fernley basin. Desert Research
Institute, Reno, Nevada, USA.
2002: Construction of the hydro-chemical puzzle as a key tool for understanding
the hydrological processes of a complex basin. Blaustein Institutes for Desert
Research, Israel.
2003: Multi-variable mixing cell model as a calibration and validation toll
for hydrogeological groundwater modeling. Institute for Earth Sciences, The
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
2003: Groundwater recharge in arid lands, Desert Research Foundation of Namibia,
ELAK meeting, Windhoek, Namibia.
2004: On the hydrological setup of a complex basin through its hydrochemical
and isotopic setup. Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Volcani
Research Center, Israel.
2004: Flood water percolation and groundwater recharge in arid lands. The
Department of Geography, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
2004: Groundwater recharge by flood water infiltration. Department of Geography,
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
2005: Floodwater recharge of alluvial aquifers in dryland environments. Meeting
of stakeholders with TWINBAS and other EU twinned-basin projects. Stockholm,
Sweden.
2006: Flood water infiltration and groundwater recharge in arid lands. Institute
for Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
Patents
1. * 2002: Flexible Probe for Measuring Moisture Content in Soil, USA, Patent # 6,956,381.
2. * 2006 (pending): Deep vadose zone sampling ports (PCT/IL2007/00018).
Research Grants
1. * 2003- 2006: Direct measurement of flood water percolation in arid lands. International Arid Lands Consortium, Ofer Dahan (PI); Yehouda Enzel; Yosi Yechieli; Erik McDonald. $100,000.
2. * 2003 -2006: Direct measurement of flood water percolation and groundwater recharge of alluvial aquifer. Israel Science Foundation, Ofer Dahan (PI); Yehouda Enzel. $97,000.
3. * 2004: Quantity and quality of groundwater recharge into the Coastal Plain Aquifer under undeveloped, agricultural and urban setups. International Atomic Energy Agency, Ronit Nativ; Stefan Geyer; Ofer Dahan; Lior Asaf. $5000.
4. * 2004-2007: Floodwater recharge of alluvial aquifers in dryland environments. European Commission, 6th Framework Program, Ofer Dahan (PI); Gerardo Benito; Yehouda Enzel; Christoph Kuells; Mary Seeley; Rick Rhodes; Timm Hoffman. €1,700,000.
5. * 2004-2006: Groundwater recharge potential of floods and percolation reservoirs in arid environments. Israel Water Commission, Ofer Dahan; Yehouda Enzel; Yosi Yechieli; Nisim Keshet. NIS 225,000.
6. * 2003-2006: Groundwater and vadose zone contamination in Ramat Hasharon area. Israel Water Commission, Eilon Adar; Ronit Nativ; Noam Weisbrod; Ofer Dahan; Alex Yakirevich; Zeev Ronen. $3,600,000.
7. * 2003-2005: Assessment of aquifer contamination in the Nahalat Itzhak Area—Tel Aviv. Israel Water Commission, Daniel Ronen; Noam Weisbrod; Ofer Dahan. NIS 1,000,000.
8. * 2003, 2004, 2005: Quantity and quality of groundwater recharge into the Coastal Plain Aquifer under undeveloped, agricultural and urban setups. Bundesministerium fur Bildung Wissenschaft, Forschung (BMBF), Ronit Nativ; Ofer Dahan; Stefan Geyer. €247,810.
9. * 2004-2007: Quantity and quality of groundwater recharge into the Coastal Plain Aquifer under undeveloped, agricultural and urban setups. Israel Science Foundation, Ronit Nativ; Ofer Dahan. $307,104.
10. * 2006-2008: The influence of dairy farming on the groundwater quality in the coastal plain aquifer. Israel Water Commission, Ofer Dahan (PI); Zeev Ronen; Amit Gross; Alan Shlosberg; Larry Sore; Irena Pankertov. NIS 1,200,000.
Research Synopsis
Introduction
One of the main topics linking most of my research activities is understanding
the environmental aspects of water flow and contaminant transport from land
surface to groundwater. I have studied this broad and complex subject in
a very wide range of terrains and geological and hydrological setups, as
well as under various conditions of natural and anthropogenic pollution,
and have developed several novel and pioneered investigation methods specifically
designed for the study of water flow and contaminant transport in the vadose
zone. These developments have led to scientific breakthroughs in vadose-zone
hydrology, and two of the methods have been patented. In the framework of
my research activities, I have conducted several studies on the following
topics: (a) water flow and contaminant transport in unsaturated fractured
chalk; (b) the long-term impact of agricultural activities on the salt balance
of groundwater; (c) floodwater infiltration and groundwater recharge in
arid environments; (d) impact of land use on recharge processes of a coastal
aquifer; (e) the hydrological and environmental impact of the military industry
on groundwater quality in the coastal aquifer; (f) the fate of volatile
organic compounds in the vadose zone of a contaminated site; (g) the influence
of dairy farming on groundwater quality.
Research development
During the late 1980s, an emerging environmental problem related to groundwater
pollution from industrial sources was observed in the vicinity of the Ramat
Hovav Industrial Municipality. Observations showed that industrial contaminants
crossed the vadose zone from the land surface to the groundwater in a relatively
short time, contradicting some of the basic models that were then in common
use. Those models, which contributed in part to the decision to establish
the Ramat Hovav industrial complex, claimed that the geological setup of
the fractured chalk would reduce potential contamination of the groundwater.
This contradiction between the models and the observed pollution in the
groundwater was the main motivation for my M.Sc. thesis, which focused on
water flow and solute migration through unsaturated chalk. The study was
conducted using hydrochemical and isotopic tools and showed that the fractures
serve as the main conduits for water flow and contaminant transport from
land surface to the underlying groundwater. The study results were presented
in conference meetings (1, 2), collective volumes and proceedings (1, 2)
and scientific journals (1, 2).
The results of my M.Sc. research demonstrated that it is the fracture system
that is probably responsible for the contamination process. However, at the
time, little was known about the flow mechanisms in unsaturated fractured
rocks, and most of the theories were based on knowledge from soil sciences,
indirect observations or computer simulations. Moreover, there was no data
from direct observation on the dynamic process of water flow in unsaturated
fractures. Accordingly, water flow and contaminant transport in unsaturated
fractured rock was the main subject of my Ph.D. thesis. Since at that time,
no scientific tools were available for such a study, a novel experimental
system was developed. The results showed, for the first time, the dynamic
process of water and solute migration in unsaturated fractured rocks. The
flow pattern within the fracture system was found to be extremely unstable,
putting into question the applicability of most of the flow models that were
common at the time. The study was presented in international conferences (4,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13), chapter in collective volumes (3) and scientific
journal (3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 2, 7 and 8).
After completion of my M.Sc. and Ph.D. studies, in which I investigated the
subject of water flow and contaminant transport in fractured rock, I went
on to study regional hydrology in the framework of a post-doctoral fellowship.
During that period, I investigated the influence of agricultural activities
in a desert environment on the solute balance of the local groundwater and
a nearby river which was partly enriched by groundwater return flow. The study
made use of hydrochemical and isotopic tools while implementing various modeling
approaches to quantify the solute balance from the various sources. The study
results were published conference meetings (16), in scientific journal (10)
and professional report (10).
In 2002, I joined Ben-Gurion University of the Negev as a lecturer and member
of the research staff in the Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology.
As a vadose-zone hydrologist, I have long recognized the lack of basic tools
that would provide continuous real-time information on flow processes in the
vadose zone. As a result, I developed a novel vadose-zone monitoring system
that, for the first time, allows real-time continuous monitoring of the water-content
variation all along the vadose zone, from land surface to groundwater, in
relatively undisturbed conditions. The system was patented (1) and published
in international conference (14) and scientific journal (9). This system has
been recently improved: it now provides the ability to sample the vadose-zone
pore water and measure its water pressure. The improved system was published
in journal articles (11, 12 and 14), conferences meetings (17, 18, 19, 24,
27, 31, 33, 34, 39). A patent is pending on the system (2). This pioneering
monitoring system has been recognized as a breakthrough in vadose-zone hydrology.
On the basis of this novel method as a research platform, several large research
projects on the hydrological relationship between surface water and groundwater
are currently being conducted, both in Israel and abroad:
a) "Floodwater infiltration and groundwater recharge in arid environments."
This project has been funded by several foundations (1, 2, 4 and 5) for a
total of ~$2,400,000. The project investigates the recharge potential of the
alluvial aquifers of the Arava aquifer (Israel), the Andarax basin (Spain),
the Kuiseb River (Namibia), and the Buffels River (South Africa). It is a
multidisciplinary project that involves hydrological, environmental, economic,
and sociological aspects of floodwater usage in arid countries. The project
is being managed and run by researchers from several countries, including
Israel, Spain, the UK, the USA, Namibia, South Africa and Germany. In Israel,
four M.Sc. students have been involved in this project (4, 5, 6 and 7). Special
monitoring stations aimed at measuring the infiltration process and quantifying
the recharge process have been established in five countries. The results
have allowed a direct quantification of one of the most important pieces of
missing information needed for arid-land water management, namely, recharge
values. The results have been presented at several international conferences
(19, 27, 29, 35, 36 and 38), conference proceedings (4) and scientific journals
(12, 13). In addition, four new manuscripts are currently in preparation (1,
2, 3 and 4)
b) "Impact of land use on groundwater recharge." This was a joint project
with Prof. Ronit Nativ from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The project
is funded by the Israel Science Foundation, the International Atomic Energy
Agency and BMBF for a total of ~$624,000 (grants 3, 8 and 9). A Ph.D student
(8) is carrying out the research under my supervision. Monitoring stations
based on the FTDR technology have been established in and around the city
of Ashdod. Continuous monitoring of the infiltration process in the past three
years has allowed direct tracking of wetting-front propagation in the deep
vadose zone for the first time, while also enabling us to quantify the recharge
process. The project and its results have been published in several conference
proceedings (21, 26, 28 and 38) and journal articles (11).
c) “The influence of dairy farming on the quality of groundwater.” This project
has received 1,200,000 NIS in funding from the Israel Water Commission (grant
10). The main objective is to track the long-term influence of intense animal-operation
facilities on the quality of the underlying groundwater. It is a multidisciplinary
project which involves hydrologists, geochemists, microbiologists and veterinarians.
One M.Sc. student (11) and a post-doctoral researcher (12) are involved in
this study.
In addition to these projects, which I initiated, I am also involved in two
other projects on industrial pollution of the Israeli coastal aquifer by the
military industry: (a) “Groundwater and vadose zone contamination in the Ramat
Hasharon area” (grant 6) and (b) “Assessment of aquifer contamination in the
Nahalat Itzhak Area—Tel Aviv” (grant 7). Both projects are funded by the Israel
Water Commission. The research at Ramat Hasharon is investigating the pollution
caused by a large industrial complex which for many years released untreated
effluents from its explosives industry to the environment. The project is
being conducted at both Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and The Hebrew
University of Jerusalem by researchers from several disciplines, including
hydrogeologists, hydrochemists, microbiologists, soil scientists and hydrological
modelers. In addition, eight students are working on the project, four of
whom are under my direct supervision (1, 3, 9 and 10). The study in Nahalat
Itzhak is focused on the spatial and temporal variations in the concentration
of volatile organic compounds in the vadose zone's water-table region. It
is a joint study carried out by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the Volcani
Research Center and the Israel Water Commission. Results from this study were
used as the basis for student M.Sc. thesis (2).