Haifa Bay Research Articles

Bathymetric zonation of modern shelf benthic foraminifera in the Levantine Basin, eastern Mediterranean Sea

Siliciclastic carbonate-poor sediments are common in southern and central parts of the inner Israeli shelf, part of the Nile littoral cell and in deeper water along the entire coast, while carbonate rich sediments occur in northern Israel and in submerged rocky environments. The distribution of benthic foraminifera, common components of these environments, was studied in surface sediment samples in order to identify their bathymetric zonation using multivariate statistical analyses. The dead foraminiferal assemblages exhibit a clear bathymetric zonation directly related to substrate type. A distinct faunal change has been found at approximately 40m water depth coinciding with the shift from the shallow-water sand belt, distributed parallel to the Israeli coast up to Haifa Bay, to a silty–clayey belt relatively rich with organic matter extending westward along the entire SE Mediterranean shelf. Ammonia parkinsoniana, Ammonia sp. 1, Buccella granulata, Nubeculina divaricata and Adelosina sp. 1 predominating the shallow-water depths are positively related to sand content and negatively related to water depth. Other species, such as Asterigerinata mamilla, Hanzawaia rhodiensis, Reussella spinulosa, Triloculina marioni and Valvulineria bradyana, occurring between 40 and 100m, exhibit a positive relationship with total organic carbon content and water depth. Beyond the Nile littoral cell and partly in its distal part Amphistegina lessonii, Peneroplis pertusus, Pseudoschlumbergerina ovata, Pseudoschlumbergerina sp. 1 and Quinqueloculina ungeriana dominate the rocky and coarse sand substrate, exhibiting a more positive relationship with higher carbonate content values. The distinct bathymetric zonation established in this study may prove to be useful in fossil records for accurate paleo-bathymetry reconstruction of Quaternary records in this dynamic system prone to frequent sea level fluctuations.

Vulnerability of Mediterranean ecosystems to long-term changes along the coast of Israel.

Although human activity is considered to be a major driving force affecting the distribution and dynamics of Mediterranean ecosystems, the full consequences of projected climate variability and relative sea-level changes on fragile coastal ecosystems for the next century are still unknown. It is unclear how these waterfront ecosystems can be sustained, as well as the services they provide, when relative sea-level rise and global warming are expected to exert even greater pressures in the near future (drought, habitat degradation and accelerated shoreline retreat). Haifa Bay, northern Israel, has recorded a landward sea invasion, with a maximum sea penetration 4,000 years ago, during an important period of urban development and climate instability. Here, we examine the cumulative pressure of climate shifts and relative sea-level changes in order to investigate the patterns and mechanisms behind forest replacement by an open-steppe. We provide a first comprehensive and integrative study for the southern Levant that shows that (i) human impact, through urbanization, has been the main driver behind ecological erosion in the past 4,000 years; (ii) climate pressures have reinforced this impact; and (iii) local coastal changes have played a decisive role in eroding ecosystem resilience. These three parameters, which have closely interacted during the last 4,000 years in Haifa Bay, clearly indicate that for an efficient management of the coastal habitats, anthropogenic pressures linked to urban development must be reduced in order to mitigate the predicted effects of Global Change.

Benthic foraminifera as palaeoenvironmental indicators during the last million years in the eastern Mediterranean inner shelf

Benthic and planktonic foraminifera were studied in inner shelf sedimentary sequences in Haifa Bay, Israel. Three boreholes, taken at water depths from 5 to 14m, spanning about the last 1Ma, and a set of modern sediment samples used as modern analogue, were utilized for reconstructing palaeoenvironments and palaeobathymetry. The palaeoenvironmental data were used for assessing tectonic activity of the Carmel Fault, a branch of the Dead Sea transform that bounds the southern side of the bay. Quantitative analyses showed four biofacies: a fresh to brackish wetland environment, and three progressively deepening marine biofacies. Relative water depth ranges were estimated using changes in benthic foraminiferal assemblages, presence or absence of Ammonia sp. 1, and the percentage of planktonic foraminifera.The distribution of the biofacies suggests water depths no deeper than 15m during most interglacial stages, water depths to 15–40m during short transgressive phases of MIS 5.5, 7, 11 and 13, and water depth reaching 40–80m in the earliest transgressive phases (MIS 27? and MIS 29?). The environmental conditions on both sides of the fault were quite similar along the succession. This suggests that the movements of the uplifted and down-faulted blocks have more or less coincided since about 1Ma.

A RED SEA GROUPER EPINEPHELUS TAVVINA CAUGHT ON THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST OF ISRAEL

ABSTRACT A grouper identified as Epinephelus tauvina (Forsskal. 1775) was caught in Haifa Bay in January 1966. This Red Sea species has not been previously recorded in the Mediterranean. Vivid colouration clearly differentiate E. tauvina from the known Mediterranean serranids.

A record of the moon crab Matuta victor (Fabricius, 1781) (Crustacea; Decapoda; Matutidae) from the Mediterranean coast of Israel

Two adult specimens of Matuta victor were recently collected in Haifa Bay, Israel. A single specimen of Ashtoret lunaris, collected in 1987 from Haifa Bay, was hitherto the only record of the Matutidae in the Mediterranean Sea.

Toposequence of sandy soils in the northern coastal plain of Israel: Polygenesis and complexity of pedogeomorphic development

Catenary relationships of surface soils in the vicinity of kibbutz Shomrat in the Galilee coastal plain of Israel were studied including optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). The research provides new insights into the local pedogeomorphic history and confirms that the study area is of different age than the central coastal plain of Israel. The soil toposequence is composed of polygenic red Hamra (Rhodoxeralf) on the hilltop, a calcareous Rhodoxeralf (Husmas) on the middle slope, both older than 250ka, and a complex pedosedimentary sequence in a lower position spanning Middle Pleistocene–Holocene OSL ages. The hilltop red Hamra is strongly reworked by soil burrowing animals, magnetically enhanced, and contains aged clay coatings and a few petrocalcic nodules. Micromorphology revealed a relict nature of cemented carbonate nodules and allowed us to establish a sequence of pedogenic episodes, e.g. rubification and clay illuviation that intermittently affected nodule growth and re-crystallization. All soils are dominated by interstratified illite–smectite, whose amount and expandability increase downhill. In the lowest topographic positions, soil development was compounded by additional fine-grained accumulation via eolian and slope processes which may have intensified during periods of geomorphic instability. Our data and interpretations suggest that to the north of Haifa Bay, coastal geomorphic surfaces are formed by late Mid-Pleistocene exhumed paleosol toposequences, which are sporadically overprinted by younger paleosols, and continue to function as presently active soils.

First Mediterranean record of Actaea savignii (H. Milne Edwards, 1834) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Xanthidae), an additional Erythraean alien crab

To date, the only alien xanthid crab recorded from the Mediterranean is Atergatis roseus (Ruppell, 1830). This species was first collected off Israel in 1961 and is now common along the Levantine coast. Recently a second alien xanthid species, Actaea savignii (H. Milne Edwards, 1834), was found off Israel and Turkey. A single adult specimen was collected in Haifa Bay in 2010, and two specimens were captured off Mersin, Turkey in 2011. Repeatedly reported from the Suez Canal since 1924, the record of the Levantine populations of A. savignii is a testament to the ongoing Erythraean invasion of the Mediterranean Sea.

Chronostratigraphy and Paleoenvironments of Quaternary Subsurface Successions, Southern Haifa Bay, Eastern Mediterranean

Chronostratigraphy and Paleoenvironments of Quaternary Subsurface Successions, Southern Haifa Bay, Eastern Mediterranean

Mercury Speciation and Total Organic Carbon in Marine Sediments Along the Mediterranean Coast of Israel

Along the Israeli Mediterranean Coast, three areas are considered "hot spots" of mercury (Hg) pollution: (1) Northern Haifa Bay (NHB), (2) the lower Qishon River at the southern part of Haifa Bay, and (3) a marine outfall of activated sewage sludge at the southern coast off Palmachim (sewage-sludge disposal site [SDS]). Even though the total Hg (HgT) concentrations in the sediments at the three areas are of the same order of magnitude (250-500 μg kg(-1)), Hg was shown to bioaccumulate in fish and benthic fauna from Haifa Bay but not in benthic fauna or in commercial fish caught along the southern Mediterranean Coast of Israel near the SDS outfall. The primary goal of this study was to measure the concentrations of Hg species (HgT, methyl-Hg [MeHg], and Hg in different biogeochemical fractions)-in conjunction with organic carbon-in sediments of NHB and the lower Qishon River to assess its impact on Hg transitions among the species as characterized by different bioavailability and bioaccessibility. HgT concentrations in NHB and the Qishon River ranged from 249 to 347 and 165 to 667 μg kg(-1), respectively. MeHg was significantly higher in the Qishon River (6.3-34.0 μg kg(-1)) than in NHB (0.22-0.70 μg kg(-1)) as were total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations (average 2.5 vs. 0.13 %). The relative Hg distribution in the biogeochemical fractions in NHB was 2.3 % in the most bioaccessible fractions (F1 + F2), 55 % in the organo-chelated species fraction (F3), 42 % in the strong-complexed species fraction (F4), and 0.7 % in the mercuric-sulfide fraction (F5). In the Qishon River, the bioavailable F1 + F2 and F3 fractions were lower than in NHB (<0.01 and 23 %, respectively) and the more refractory F4 and F5 fractions higher (73 and 3.3 %, respectively). The fractionation of Hg in Qishon River sediments was similar to the distribution found in polluted stations at the SDS. TOC and MeHg were positively and negatively correlated, respectively, in Qishon River and NHB sediments. Methylation depended on TOC availability when its concentration was in the range of 2-4 wt%. It is possible that TOC in the sediment controlled Hg speciation: Hg in F3 decreased and in F4 increased with increasing TOC concentrations. In contrast, MeHg/HgT was significantly positively correlated with TOC and Hg in the stable F4 fraction and negatively correlated with Hg in the F3 fraction. It was therefore assumed that higher TOC concentrations enhanced microbial activity and decomposition of organic matter. Hg was released from the F3 fraction and was either transferred to the F4 fraction or made available for methylation processes.

The chronostratigraphy of a quaternary sequence at the distal part of the nile littoral cell, Haifa Bay, Israel

AbstractThe current detailed chronostratigraphic framework of the last 1 Ma of an eastern Mediterranean sequence (Haifa Bay, Israel) aims to examine the relative roles of sea‐level changes, climate and tectonics. Seven continuous marine cores, up to ∼120 m long, were recovered from shallow water depths. The cores were dated by optically stimulated luminescence, 14C, magnetostratigraphy, 230Th/234U, 26Al/10Be, occurrence of index fossils and correlated to the global sea‐level curve and Marine Isotope Stages (MIS). The sedimentary sequence accumulated during the last ca. 1.0 Ma consists of 21 transgression–regression units with hiatuses between them. Five marine/terrestrial cycles, which occur in the lower part of the sequence, are attributed to the Jaramillo subchron and the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary, and correspond to MIS 29–21. The top ∼50 m includes three sedimentary cycles deposited in the last ca. 400 ka. The regressive phases during this interval correspond to Glacial MIS 8, 6 and 2, while the transgressions correspond to Interglacial MIS 11, 7, 5 and 1. Thus, for the first time, this study documents the longest Quaternary succession dated so far in a key area of the Levant, sensitive to global history of sea‐level changes and glacial/interglacial fluctuations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Between knowledge of landscape production and representation

Between knowledge of landscape production and representation

Sphaerosyllis levantina sp. n. (Annelida) from the eastern Mediterranean, with notes on character variation in Sphaerosyllis hystrix Claparède, 1863

Examination of polychaete specimens from Haifa Bay (Israel, eastern Mediterranean Sea) revealed several individuals exhibiting morphological characteristics similar to Sphaerosyllis hystrix Claparède, 1863. A detailed morphometrical analysis of the Israeli specimens in comparison to specimens of Sphaerosyllis hystrix and Sphaerosyllis boeroi Musco, Çinar and Giangrande, 2005 supported the description of the former as a new species, Sphaerosyllis levantina sp. n. Individuals of Sphaerosyllis hystrix formed a very heterogeneous group with strong character variations in the analysis and the presumed cosmopolitan distribution of the species is discussed based on literature records.

Spatial analysis of air pollution and cancer incidence rates in Haifa Bay, Israel

The Israel National Cancer Registry reported in 2001 that cancer incidence rates in the Haifa area are roughly 20% above the national average. Since Haifa has been the major industrial center in Israel since 1930, concern has been raised that the elevated cancer rates may be associated with historically high air pollution levels. This work tests whether persistent spatial patterns of metrics of chronic exposure to air pollutants are associated with the observed patterns of cancer incidence rates. Risk metrics of chronic exposure to PM 10, emitted both by industry and traffic, and to SO 2, a marker of industrial emissions, was developed. Ward-based maps of standardized incidence rates of three prevalent cancers: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, lung cancer and bladder cancer were also produced. Global clustering tests were employed to filter out those cancers that show sufficiently random spatial distribution to have a nil probability of being related to the spatial non-random risk maps. A Bayesian method was employed to assess possible associations between the morbidity and risk patterns, accounting for the ward-based socioeconomic status ranking. Lung cancer in males and bladder cancer in both genders showed non-random spatial patterns. No significant associations between the SO 2-based risk maps and any of the cancers were found. Lung cancer in males was found to be associated with PM 10, with the relative risk associated with an increase of 1 μg/m 3 of PM 10 being 12%. Special consideration of wards with expected rates < 1 improved the results by decreasing the variance of the spatially correlated residual log-relative risk.

2D Analysis of Earthquake Ground Motion in Haifa Bay, Israel

We study the earthquake response of the Zevulun Valley basin, underlying northern Israel’s largest urban area, with 2D viscoelastic seismic modeling of a detailed geological section. We found that amplification of the horizontal vibrations, the ratio of basin to no-basin response spectra, correlates with basin depth. In the deepest portion of the basin (Qishon graben), long periods (2–5 sec) are amplified by 400%; in the shallowest portion of the basin (Afeq horst), shorter periods (∼0.5 sec) are amplified by 300%–400%. These resonances in the vertical direction through the basin are strong enough that their amplitude overwhelms the amplitude of a previously recognized basin-edge effect. The horizontal/vertical (H/V) Fourier spectral ratios based on 124 ambient noise measurements do not fully coincide with the basin to no-basin Fourier spectral ratios of the simulation, but the resonance frequencies found in both methods are alike. Moreover, the relation between the resonance frequency and the depth of the corresponding seismic reflector in the simulation is almost identical to the empirical frequency-depth relations obtained from measurements. This indicates that the average shear-wave velocity of the sedimentary column in the model is consistent with measurements. To evaluate the necessity of 2D analysis, we performed additional 1D simulations at two locations along the section. For the Qishon graben, 1D analysis underestimates the amplification factor relative to 2D by 25%, whereas for the Afeq horst, 1D and 2D simulations are similar. For a hard layer within the soft Qishon graben fill, we found that when the hard layer is thinner than ∼50 m, its influence on ground motion is small.

Morphological changes in the last 200 years in the mouth of the Na'aman River, northern coastal plain, Israel

Lichter, M., Zviely, D., and Klein, M. 2009. Morphological changes in the last 200 years in the mouth of the Na’aman River, northern coastal plain, Israel. Isr. J. Earth sci. 58: 63–80. The Na’aman River mouth is located in Haifa Bay, at the northern end of the Nile littoral cell of Israel’s Mediterranean coast. This study documents the morphological changes to this river’s mouth over the last 200 years based on three historical maps from 1799 to 1930 as well as a series of 54 aerial photographs taken between 1945 and 2005. Mapping of morphological features and vegetation cover in the vicinity of the changing mouth was performed with a Geographic Information System (GIS); quantitative and qualitative parameters were derived from this mapping. The temporal and spatial patterns of the mouth migration were characterized and factors influencing its morphology such as vegetation cover, stream discharge, wave regime, and anthropogenic changes were analyzed. The Na’aman River mouth intermittently flows in a permanent channel along the back of the north–south beach berm. The channel remains stable for several years until a major flood diverts it. The mouth migrated 1.5 km, both north and south, along the coast during the last 200 years, about equally in either direction. An increase in vegetation cover over the years restricted the migration of the channel. River floods may cause the “resetting” of the mouth morphology and its location, but if the channel is robust, even large floods are unable to divert it. Wave direction does not seem to af fect the deflection of the channel. Anthropogenic intervention in the natural course of the mouth took place in two ways: artificial opening of the mouth to prevent flooding hazard and control the mosquito habitat, and channel diversion intended to prevent the pollution of nearby bathing beaches.

Ensiculus cultellus (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Pharidae) a new Erythrean alien in the Mediterranean

The razor clam Ensiculus cultellus , originally described from the East Indies, is reported for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea. A single live adult specimen was collected in Haifa Bay, Israel. Possible pathways of introduction are discussed.

Coastal and synoptic recirculation affecting air pollutants dispersion: A numerical study

This study examines the spatial distribution of potential recirculation over the East Mediterranean Sea, and the combined effect of synoptic and meso-scale recirculations on plume dispersion in the region. For this purpose, three case studies are performed by the RAMS–HYPACT modeling system, each for a different synoptic scale flow pattern. Both a quantitative measure of the recirculation potential at each grid cell and particle dispersion are calculated. Although the recirculation index is an Eulerian quantity for the wind field and plume dispersion is a manifestation of the Lagrangian behavior of the wind, good correlation is found between the two. Several locations are identified as having high recirculation potential, including southern Cyprus, the coasts of Israel and Lebanon, the eastern slopes of the Judean Mountains and the Haifa Bay in particular. In the latter location, high recirculation potential could be explained by strong interaction between the land–sea surfaces, curvature of the bay and proximity of the Carmel ridge. It is shown that the synoptic and meso-scale recirculations may, under certain conditions, act together and at the same time in determining particle distribution. Under weak synoptic scale flows, particles are recirculated over the entire East Mediterranean Sea basin, returning onshore after a period of 2–3 days to join freshly emitted particles. At the same time, near-shore land–sea breeze effects cause particles to recirculate on smaller time scales of less then one day, sometimes passing as much as three times over the same airshed. A single elevated emission source is shown to have the potential to impair air quality at a coastal strip as long as 100–200 km upon returning onshore.

Late Holocene embayment infill and shoreline migration, Haifa Bay, Eastern Mediterranean

Porat, N., Sivan, D., and Zviely, D. 2008. Late Holocene embayment infill and shoreline migration, the Haifa Bay, Eastern Mediterranean. Isr. J. Earth Sci. 57: 21–31. In the early Holocene sea-level rise caused transgression into the Haifa Bay, as in many bays and river mouths in the Eastern Mediterranean basin. Approximately 4,000 yr ago the sea reached its maximum transgression in the Zevulun Valley Plain, the eastern and terrestrial part of Haifa Bay, and the area was subjected to shallow marine and coastal sedimentation. Later, the coastline migrated to the west and the shallow marine sands were covered by coastal dunes. Across the Zevulun Valley Plain the top of these marine sands is within ± 1 m of present-day sea level. To provide a temporal framework for the establishment of the current sea level and the deposition of the aeolian and marine sands, a borehole was drilled 1,700 m inland, at 7.75 m asl, and eight samples were dated by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). Sandy sediments comprise the entire borehole length (14.5 m). The transition from coarser shallow marine and coastal sand with mollusk fragments to the overlying finer coastal dunes is at a borehole depth of 7.5 to 8 m (0 ± 0.25 m asl). Quartz single-aliquot OSL ages range from 2,400 ± 110 yr at 3.0 m borehole depth to 4,150 ± 170 yr at 11.2 m depth. The transition from coastal to aeolian deposits took place about 3,650 yr ago, implying that within 0.5–1 m, sea level was then similar to the modern level. The chronology of the two sandy phases of the Zevulun Valley Plain has enabled the tracking of the shifting coastlines since 4,000 yr. The ages also have a bearing on our understanding of human occupation in these coastal areas and provide a reliable index point for the local sea-level curve.

First record of two seaweeds from the Israeli Mediterranean: &lt;i&gt;Galaxaura rugosa&lt;/i&gt; (J. Ellis and Solander) J. V. Lamouroux (Rhodophyta) and &lt;i&gt;Codium adhaerens&lt;/i&gt; C. Agardh (Chlorophyta)

Two marine macroalgae have recently been identified using drift algal material collected in the Haifa Bay area, Israel. The first is the red seaweed Galaxaura rugosa, first seen south of Haifa Bay during November 2003 and observed thereafter both within seaweeds washed ashore and at 2-4 m deep within the subtidal zone. Galaxaura rugosa was previously described in the Lebanese coasts; therefore its distribution within the Israeli Mediterranean is expected to be far more extensive. The second is the green seaweed Codium adhaerens, which was collected along the northern shores of Haifa Bay during September-October 2007.

Shoreline migration and beach-nearshore sand balance over the last 200 years in Haifa Bay (SE Mediterranean)

Several researchers have investigated morphological changes on the south-eastern Mediterranean coast during the late Holocene. However, very few of these studies include quantitative data covering the last 200 years. In this study, topographical maps, nautical charts and aerial photographs are used to estimate the shoreline migrations and beach–nearshore sand balance over the last 200 years in Haifa Bay, Israel, the northernmost final depositional sink of the Nile littoral cell. The findings reflect two main periods. During the first period, between 1799 and 1928, human intervention along the bay’s coast was negligible, a significant coastal expansion of ∼50 to 150 m (averages of 0.4–1.2 m/year) was measured, and sand accumulation was estimated at ∼70,000 m3 annually in the beach–nearshore area. A dramatic change in the sedimentological pattern was observed during the second period, between 1928 and 2006, following the completion of Haifa Port’s main breakwater (1929–1933). During this period, most of the bay’s coast was in a steady state, with seasonal fluctuations of less than about ±20 m, and slight erosion of ∼7,000 m3 annually. These findings are consistent with previous studies which conclude that from approximately 4,000 years ago until the construction of Haifa Port, sea level remained relatively stable, and a continuous accumulation of Nile-derived sand dried up the Zevulun Plain and shifted the Haifa Bay shoreline westwards to its present location. This long-term trend ceased after completion of the Haifa Port main breakwater.