elib@ocean.org.il
Tel: 04 – 8565249
Scientist
Ph.D. 2011, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
At IOLR since 2011
Research interests:
My studies focused on the dynamics of convectively driven marginal seas, sea strait physics, and small-scale oceanic processes such as density currents and open ocean convection, and air-sea interactions. In particular, I have been using oceanic models at various complexities combined with different oceanic measurements/proxies to study the paleoceanography of the Red Sea, the general circulation of the Gulf of Eilat and the circulation of the entire Mediterranean Sea and along the Israeli continental shelf. I’m leading several ongoing studies that are focusing on the formation and deep-cascading density currents through submarine canyons in the Eastern Levantine basin, the investigation of end-brine effluent propagation along the Israeli shelf, and the dynamics of the Suez Canal and its influence on water masses and species migration in the Mediterranean Sea.
Selected publications:
Biton, E., Gildor, H., and Peltier, W. R. (2008). Red Sea circulation during the Last Glacial Maximum: Implication for sea level reconstruction. Paleoceanography. 23, PA1214, doi:10.1029/2007PA001431.
Biton E., Silverman, J., and Gildor, H. (2008). Observations and modeling of a pulsating density current. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L14603, doi:10.1029/2008GL034123.
Biton, E., Gildor, H., Trommer, G., Siccha, M., Kucera, M., Van der Meer, M. T. J., and Schouten, S. (2010). Sensitivity of Red Sea circulation to monsoonal variability during the Holocene: An integrated data and modeling study. Paleoceanography, 25, PA4209, doi:10.1029/2009PA001876.
Biton, E., and Gildor, H. (2011). The general circulation of the Gulf of Aqaba (Gulf of Eilat) revisited: The interplay between the exchange flow through the Straits of Tiran and surface fluxes. J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2010JC006860.
Biton, E., and Gildor, H. (2011). Stepwise seasonal restratification and the evolution of salinity minimum in the Gulf of Aqaba (Gulf of Eilat). J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2011JC007106.
Biton, E., and Gildor, H. (2011). The coupling between exchange flux through a strait and dynamics in a small convectively driven marginal sea: The Gulf of Aqaba (Gulf of Eilat). J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2011JC006944.
Carlson, D.F., Fredj, E., Gildor, H., Biton, E., Steinbuck J.V., Monismith, S.G., and Genin, A (2012). Observations of tidal currents in the northern Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba (Red Sea). J. Marine System, 159-170, doi:10.1016/j.jmarsys.2012.04.008.
Biton, E., and Gildor, H. (2012). The seasonal effect in one-dimensional Daisyworld. J. Theor. Bio., 314, 145-156.
Biton, E.,and Gildor, H. (2014). Energy budget of a small convectively driven marginal sea: The Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba (northern Red Sea). J. Phys. Oceanogr, doi: 10.1175/JPO-D-13-0220.1.
Goldman, R., Biton, E., Brokovich, E., Kark, S.,Levin, N. (2015). Oil spill contamination probability in the southeastern Levantine basin. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 91: 347–356.
Siccha, M., Biton, E., and Gildor, H. (2015). Red Sea circulation during Marine Isotope Stage 5e. Paleoceanography, 30(4): 384-401. doi: 10.1002/2013PA002603.
Biton, E., and Gildor, H. (2016). On the Origin of a Chain of Eddies in the Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba. J. Phys. Oceanogr, 46: 2269-2284. DOI: 10.1175/JPO-D-15-0208.1.
Katz, T., Weinstein, Y., Alkalai, R., Berman-Frank, I., Biton, E., Toledo, Y., Lazar, A., Zlatkin, O., Soffer, R., Rahav, E., Sisma-Ventura, G., Bar, T., Ozer, T., Gildor, H., Almogi-Labin, A.,Kanari, M., and Herut, B. (2019). The first deep-sea mooring station in the eastern Levantine basin (DeepLev), outline and insights into regional sedimentological processes, Deep Sea Research, 171, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2019.104663.
Wood, E. J., Silverman, J., Galanti, B., Biton, E. (2020). Modeling the distributions of desalination brines from multiple sources along the Mediterranean coast of Israel, Water Research, doi:/10.1016/j.watres.2020.115555.
Grossowicz, M., Ofir, E., Shabtay, A., Wood, E., J., Biton, E., Belkin, N., Frid, O., Sisma-Ventura, G., Kress, N., Berman-Frank, I., Gal, G. (2020). Modeling the effects of brine outflow from desalination plants on coastal food-webs of the Levantine basin (eastern Mediterranean Sea), Desalination, 496, doi:/10.1016/j.watres.2020.115555.
Jaijel, R., Goodman Tchernov, B., N., Biton, E., Weinstein, Y., Katz, T. (2020). Optimizing a standard preparation procedure for grain size analysis of marine sediments by laser diffraction (MS-PT4SD: Marine sediments-pretreatment for size distribution), Deep Sea Research, doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103429.
Biton, E. (2020). Possible implications of sea level changes for species migration through the Suez Canal, Scientific Reports, 10, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78313-2.
Sisma-Ventura, G., Kress, N., Silverman, J., Gertner, Y., Ozer, T., Biton, E., Lazar, A., Gertman, I., Rahav, E., Herut, B. (2020). Post-EMT oxygen decline in the bathypelagic water masses of the Southeast Mediterranean Sea supports weakening of ventilation rates, Frontiers in Marine Science, 7: 598686.
