A5070481950- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Irrigation Practices and Water Management
- Water resources management and optimization
- Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies
- Remote Sensing in Agriculture
- Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
- Solar Radiation and Photovoltaics
- Flood Risk Assessment and Management
- Climate change impacts on agriculture
- Transboundary Water Resource Management
- Greenhouse Technology and Climate Control
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Urban Heat Island Mitigation
- Leaf Properties and Growth Measurement
- Sustainability and Ecological Systems Analysis
- Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Healthcare and Environmental Waste Management
- Hydrology and Drought Analysis
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact
- Cryospheric studies and observations
- Soil Moisture and Remote Sensing
- Energy and Environment Impacts
- Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
American University of Beirut
2015-2024
Lebanese American University
2010
Utah State University
2010
The Bekaa Valley in Lebanon currently hosts the highest number of refugees per capita world. It is also primary agricultural production area country. Groundwater levels some regions valley have decreased by >15 m last five years. Water use estimates at regional and field scale for this are crucial enhancing resilience managing competing sectorial water demands. In research, we derive a novel time series field-scale actual evapotranspiration using two one-source energy balance models period...
Abstract The USDA curve-number (CN) method is fundamental for rainfall-runoff modeling. A global CN database not currently available geospatial hydrologic analysis at a resolution higher than 0.1°. We developed globally consistent, gridded dataset defining CNs the 250 m spatial from new land cover (300 m) and soils data (250 m). resulting product – GCN250 represents runoff combination of European space agency 2015 (ESA CCI-LC) resampled to geo-registered with soil group (HYSOGs250m) released...
Advances in earth observation science recent years have contributed to improving the quantification of evapotranspiration (ET) at field, regional and global scales. Many studies stressed need for a high temporal spatial resolution ET product that minimizes bias between modeled actual water use proper accounting. We present hybrid single-source energy balance (HSEB) model calculates field-scale based on synergistic Sentinel-2, Landsat, Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)...
Agriculture is an important source of income for the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS), which currently rules over large parts breadbaskets two countries. It has received limited attention compared to other sources ISIS revenues such as oil, looting, ransom, foreign donations various forms taxation. We estimate winter crops production wheat barley ISIS-controlled areas both years 2014–2015 irrigated summer (cotton) Northeast Syria. show that remote sensing can give a credible estimation...
Leaf area index (LAI) is an essential indicator of crop development and growth. For many agricultural applications, satellite-based LAI estimates at the farm-level often require near-daily imagery medium to high spatial resolution. The combination data from different ongoing satellite missions, Sentinel 2 (ESA) Landsat 8 (NASA), provides this opportunity. In study, we evaluated leaf generated three methods, namely, existing vegetation (VI) relationships applied Harmonized Landsat-8...
The use of contaminated water has been associated with severe disease outbreaks. Due to widespread pollution untreated sewage, concerns have raised over quality in Lebanon, a country well-documented challenges infrastructure. Here, we evaluated the major rivers Lebanon by quantifying densities fecal indicator bacteria (fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli). Additionally, assessed dissemination antibiotic-resistant E. coli river water. Composite samples (n = 132) were collected from fourteen...
Abstract Several safe boundaries of critical Earth system processes have already been crossed due to human perturbations; not accounting for their interactions may further narrow the operating space humanity. Using expert knowledge elicitation, we explored among seven variables representing relevant food production, identifying many little in literature. We found that green water and land change affect other strongly, while land, freshwater ocean components biosphere integrity are most...
Using Economic Irrigation Water Productivity (EIWP) as an indicator for on-farm irrigation decision-making is of utmost importance in addressing the challenges posed by poor policies managing agricultural water use, particularly water-scarce basins. Various modeling systems are available quantifying crop actual evapotranspiration (ETa) and biomass needed measuring economic output obtained from each unit utilized. The difference ETa estimates between could translate into a EIWP outcomes,...
Improving water use efficiency in the agricultural sector, particularly arid regions, is becoming increasingly important response to increasing global population and concomitant demand for food, water, land. The authors performed experiments determine whether of super‐absorbent polymers, also known as hydrogels, can increase plant survival, growth, efficiency. effect hydrogel application proportions methods on survival growth clay sandy loam (SCL) soils was investigated. Two pot using Zea...
Global demands for biomass and arable lands are expected to double in the next 35 years. Scarcity of water resources arid semi-arid areas poses a serious threat their agricultural productivity hence food security. In this study, we examine whether crop yields can be predicted from remotely sensed vegetation indices estimates primary productivity. Spatial relationships between enhanced index (EVI), net photosynthesis (PNet), gross production (GPP NPP, respectively) irrigated agro-ecosystems...
Abstract The Syrian crisis caused a massive influx of displaced people into neighboring countries, with Lebanon hosting the highest per capita number refugees (3:10). Water remains most critical natural resource that influences resilience host and refugee communities. We provide new GIS-based updated water balance scarcity analysis at national watershed level in by comparing current conditions to no-refugee levels. Results show small (6%) increase stress an average year masks hot spots local...
Click to increase image sizeClick decrease size Disclosure statementThe authors declare no competing interests.
The impact of conflict on irrigated agriculture and consequently summer crop production within conflict-affected agricultural lands was observed in the Orontes Basin. Water energy use were reconfigured through a transition from rainfed to over past 20 years, but have been disrupted as Syrian war has unfolded since 2011. Remotely sensed vegetation indices used determine yields during year 2013. Findings suggest that dropped between 15% 30% portion basin 2000–2013, with hotspots identifiable...
In this study, we used Landsat Earth observations and gridded weather data along with global soil datasets available in Google Engine (GEE) to estimate crop yield at 30 m resolution. We implemented a remote sensing evapotranspiration-based light use efficiency model globally integrated abiotic environmental stressors (temperature, moisture, vapor deficit stressors). The operational (Global Yield Mapper (GYMEE)) was validated against actual for three agricultural schemes different climatic,...
Accurate crop mapping for agricultural monitoring requires the use of robust image classification algorithms. Cultivation illegal cannabis is common in Bekaa plain, Lebanon, as some other areas world (Morocco, Afghanistan). Identification cultivation sites money and time consuming since it highly relies on knowledge field surveys. Machine-learning-based provides an alternative method detection. This paper presents a comparative analysis four machine-learning classifiers implemented Google...
Abstract Evapotranspiration (ET) provides a robust connection between hydrological cycles and surface energy balance. Accurate near‐daily ET estimation has utility in water resources, agricultural management applications, crop yields drought monitoring. This study describes the implementation of an modeling system based on Priestley‐Taylor version Two‐Source (soil vegetation) Energy Balance Model (TSEB‐PT) within Google Earth Engine environment. TSEB‐PT performance was compared with simpler...
AbstractExisting strategies for management of water scarcity in the Middle East and North Africa negotiate a complex system trade-offs between water, energy, food production. The effects rural households' green practices on basin-level carbon stocks flows are sketched qualitatively six basin agro-ecosystems. case increased strategic support agricultural appears stronger when weighed from nexus perspective, rather than purely point view balance Trade-offs under critical transitions affecting...
The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) is one of the most water-scarce worldwide. Up-to-date estimates origin types water use in various industries are necessary to manage resources guide food policies. objective this study determine new for color-coded footprint (WF). Using Water Footprint Network approach, country-specific blue, green grey WFs total virtual were calculated 2010–2016 using recent production data. We find that animal MENA increased by 50% as compared previous decade....
Irrigation monitoring is of great importance in agricultural water management to guarantee better use efficiency, especially under changing climatic conditions and scarcity. This study presents a detailed assessment the potential Sentinel-1 (S1) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data detect irrigation events at plot scale. The S1 was carried out using Event Detection Model (IEDM) over semi-arid temperate oceanic climates five sites south Europe Middle East. IEDM decision tree model initially...