Dr. Sivan Isaacson is a remote sensing specialist who focuses on arid environments. She holds a PhD in geographic information technology from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Her PhD thesis integrated remote sensing and ecology in which she developed an image processing method to study acacia tree population dynamics. Dr. Isaacson is a researcher at the Desert Flood Research Center in the Dead-Sea and Arava Science Center, where she uses satellite images to monitor flash floods in arid regions. Her team developed a novel technique to map flash flood flow routes from soil moisture signals, and this product is used for different applications.
Current Research
- Extracting flashflood data in arid regions using the vegetal component of satellite images
- Characterizing the spectral response of desert plants to water supply
- Mapping and monitoring flash floods in arid regions by remote sensing
- Remote sensing and the ecology of scattered trees in arid regions
Publications
Isaacson, S., Armoza-Zvuloni, R., Babad, A., Swiderski, N. B., Segev, N., Shem-Tov, R., & Stavi, I. (2024). Mass tree uprooting during a mega flash flood in the hyper-arid Wadi Zihor, southern Israel. CATENA, 242, 108133.
Isaacson, S., Ephrath, J. E., Rachmilevitch, S., Blumberg, D. G., Shalmon, B., Katz, O., & Maman, S. (2023). Long-Term Monitoring of Tree Population Dynamics in Desert Ecosystems: Integrating Field and Satellite Data. Land, 12(8), 1640.
Isaacson, S., Friedlander, L., Meged, C., Havivi, S., Cohen-Zada, A. L., Ronay, I., … & Maman, S. (2020). She Space: A multi-disciplinary, project-based learning program for high school girls. Acta Astronautica, 168, 155-163.
Isaacson, S., Ephrath, J. E., Rachmilevitch, S., Maman, S., Ginat, H., & Blumberg, D. G. (2017). Long and short term population dynamics of acacia trees via remote sensing and spatial analysis: Case study in the southern Negev Desert. Remote Sensing of Environment, 198, 95-104.
