Prof. Michael (Iggy) Litaor

Prof. Michael (Iggy) Litaor
Professor
Research Group Leader
Phone
972-54-6780076

The main research activities in the hydro-geochemistry lab are: (1) The design, testing and implementation of constructed wetland for the treatment of organic-rich effluents such as wineries & olive mill wastewaters. We developed a new design of mobile vertical-flow constructed wetland to reduce COD, N & P concentrations to levels allowed for reuse as irrigation waters; (2) Factors and processes of salinity in altered wetland soils. This study involves a detailed characterization of water flow and salinity dynamics in the altered wetland soils, Hula Valley Israel; (3) Assessment of the current fertilization practices in the altered wetland soils and their impact on soil quality and waterways. The focus of the study is the construction of 3D stochastic simulation model that would allow making uncertainty analysis for precision farming; (4) Phosphorus capture, recycling and utilization for sustainable agriculture and a clean environment using water treatment residuals (WTR). This work deals with sustainable agricultural techniques while conserving P fertilization, capturing P leachates from soils to waterways and recycling alum waste, (5) The Impact of ornithogenic inputs on phosphorous transport from altered wetland soils to waterways in East Mediterranean ecosystem. This study evaluate the impact of > 45,000 wintering Eurasian Grus on the Agmon Hula ecosystem, and (6) assessment of the impact of treated OMW used as irrigation water on soils and plants. In this study we will use proximal soil survey techniques and various soil analyses to determine the potential harmful effects of treated OMW on the pedosphere.

CV

Education
Ph.D., 1986 University of Colorado, Boulder CO, USA, In geochemistry

Academic and research positions

2010 - present, MIGAL, Head of the Hydrogeochemistry Lab.
2008–Present, Professor in Tel Hai College.
1996–2008, Associate Professor in Tel Hai College, Upper Galilee, Israel.
1986–1990 Postdoctoral fellow, Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research University of Colorado, Boulder.
1995–1996 Adjunct Prof., University of Colorado, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
1990–1995 Senior soil scientist, EG&G working in Rocky Flats Plant (RFP) on the fate and transport of radionuclides (Pu, Am & U) in soils.

 

Scientific Publications

Phosphorus Sorption Characteristics in Aluminum-Based Water Treatment Residuals Reacted with Dairy Wastewater, Part I: Isotherms, XRD, and SEM-EDS Analysis

Zohar, I., M. S. Massey, J.A. Ippolito, and M. I. Litaor.
Journal Environemental Quality 2018 Volume 47 Issue 3 Pages 538-545
2018

Phosphorus sorption to aluminum-based water treatment residuals reacted with dairy wastewa¬ter, Part II: X-ray adsorption spectroscopy.

Massey, M.S., I. Zohar, J.A. Ippolito, and M.I. Litaor.
Journal Environmental Quality 2018 Volume 47 Issue 3 Pages 546-553
2018

The impact of olive mill wastewater spreading on soils using integrated approach of proximal soil survey, spatial, and multivariate analyses

M. Iggy Litaor & Nanak Khadya
Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2018 Volume 25 Pages 7469?7478
2018

Trend Analysis of Alpine Catena Response to Nitrogen Deposition.

Litaor, M.I., K. Suding, S.P. Anderson, G. Litus, N. Caine.
Catena 2018 Volume 170 Pages 108-118
2018

Innovative approach for Recycling Phosphorous from Agro-Wastewaters Using Water Treatment Residuals (WTR)

Zohar, I. J. Ippolito, M. S. Massey, M.I. Litaor.
Chemoshpere 2017 Volume 168 Pages 234-243
2017

The influence of compost and zeolites co-addition on the nutrients status and plant growth in intensively cultivated Mediterranean soils.

Litaor, M.I., L. Katz and M. Shenker
Soil Use and Management. 2017 Volume 33 Issue 1 Pages 72-80
2017

Evaluation of the ornithogenic influence on the trophic state of East Mediterranean wetland ecosystem using trend analysis.

Litaor, M.I., I. Barnea, O. Reichmann and I. Zohar.
Science of the Total Environment 2016 Volume 539 Pages 231?240
2016

The Impact of Rainfall-Runoff Events on the Water Quality of the Upper Catchment of the Jordan River, Israel.

Reichman, O. Chen, Y. and M. I. Litaor.
In Integrated Water Resources Management: Concept, Research and Implementation ,2016, Borchardt et al Ed. ,Springer NY, Pages 129-146
2016

Treatment of Winery Wastewater with Aerated Cells Mobile System.

Litaor, I., Meir-Dinar, N.; Castro, B.; Azaizeh, H.; Rytwo, G.; Levi, N.; Levi, M.
Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management 2015 Volume 4: 19-26
2015

Snow surface energy and mass balance in a warm temperate climate mountain.

Sade, R., A. Rimmer, M. I. Litaor, E. Shamir, A. Furman.
Journal of Hydrology 2014 Volume 519 Issue A Pages 848?862
2014

The impact of ornithogenic inputs on phosphorous transport from altered wetland soils to waterways in East Mediterranean ecosystem

M. I. Litaor; O. Reichmann; E. Dente; A. Naftaly; M. Shenker
Science of the Total Environment 2014 Pages 36-42
2014

Phosphorus in soils and its transfer to water: From fine-scale soil processes to models and solutions in landscapes and catchments

P. M. Haygarth; A. Delgado; W. J. Chardon; M. I. Litaor; F. Gil-Sotres; J. Torrent
Soil Use and Management 2013 Volume 29 Issue SUPPL.1 Pages 03-???
2013

Spatial Model Assessment of P Transport from Soils to Waterways in an Eastern Mediterranean Watershed

Reichmann, O., Y. Chen, and M. Iggy Litaor.
Water 2013 Volume 5 Pages 262-279.
2013

The kinetics of the removal of organic pollutants from drinking water by a novel plasma-based advanced oxidation technology

A. Mizrahi; I. M. Litaor
Desalination and Water Treatment 2013
2013

Assessment of phosphorus fertilizer practices in altered wetland soils using uncertainty analysis

M. I. Litaor; I. Chashmonai; I. Barnea; O. Reichmann; M. Shenker
Soil Use and Management 2013 Volume 29 Issue SUPPL.1 Pages 55-63
2013

Catastrophic dieback of Cyperus papyrus in response to geochemical changes in an East Mediterranean altered wetland

R. Simhayov; M. I. Litaor; I. Barnea; M. Shenker
Wetlands 2013 Volume 33 Issue 4 Pages 747-758
2013

The catastrophic dieback of Cyperus papyrus in an East Mediterranean altered wetland: Critical examination of hydrogeochemical models

Shemchaiov, R. M. I. Litaor & M. Shenker.
Mires and Peat Research 2012 Volume 9 Pages 1-12
2012

Evaluation of phosphorus management practices in East Mediterranean altered wetland soils

I. Barnea; M. I. Litaor; M. Shenker
Soil Use and Management 2012 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 35-44
2012

Climate change and mountain water resources: Overview and recommendations for research, management and policy

D. Viviroli; D. R. Archer; W. Buytaert; H. J. Fowler; G. B. Greenwood; A. F. Hamlet; Y. Huang; G. Koboltschnig; M. I. Litaor; J. I. López-Moreno; S. Lorentz; B. Schädler; H. Schreier; K. Schwaiger; M. Vuille; R. Woods
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 2011 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 471-504
2011

Genesis, classification and human modification of peat and mineral-organic soils, Hula Valley, Israel

Litaor, M.I., O. Reichmann, and M. Shenker.
Mires and Peat 2011 Volume 9 Pages 1-9
2011

Overview and evaluation of mitigation options for reducing nutrient emission from agriculture to groundwater and surface water. A Study amongst European Members States of EC-COST Action 869

Schoumans, O., W.J. Chardon, M. Bechmann, C. Gascuel-Odoux, G. Hofman, B. Kronvang, M.I. Litaor, A. Lo Porto, P. Newwell-Price and G. Rubaek
Alterra Report 2011 Volume 2141 ISSN Pages 1566-7197
2011

The sensitivity of snow-surface temperature equation to sloped terrain

R. Sade; A. Rimmer; M. Iggy Litaor; E. Shamir; A. Furman
Journal of Hydrology 2011 Volume 408 Issue 03-??? Pages 308-313
2011

Evaluation of groundwater and phosphorus transport in fractured altered wetland soils

R. Sade; M. I. Litaor; M. Shenker
Journal of Hydrology 2010 Volume 393 Issue 01-??? Pages 133-142
2010

Hydrochemical analysis of groundwater using a tree-based model

M. I. Litaor; H. Brielmann; O. Reichmann; M. Shenker
Journal of Hydrology 2010 Volume 387 Issue 03-??? Pages 273-282
2010

Nutrient status in alpine soils of the Colorado Front Range using the nitrogen/phosphorus ratio index

M. Iggy Litaor; T. R. Seastedt; L. C. Sackett
Soil Science Society of America Journal 2008 Volume 72 Issue 6 Pages 1628-1636
2008