Spring and summer daily subsurface temperatures in three microhabitats in a flat natural loess area in the Negev Desert, Israel

In this study soil temperatures were measured 1 mm below the soil surface by microsensors in three locations on the matrix and in depressions on a natural area near a flat loess of Sede Boker in the Negev and recorded daily every 10 min. In this area many seeds of desert annualʹs seed banks germinate on or close to the soil surface. Temperatures over 2 days in the spring, one with rain, were compared with 2 hot days during a ‘hamsin’ at the beginning of summer. Temperatures in these microhabitats may affect the spread of germination over time according to seed location during storage and germination.