Yotam is a doctoral researcher within the TERRA Cluster of Excellence, Terrestrial Geo-Biosphere Interactions in a Changing World. His research interests focus on land-atmosphere interactions and their role in shaping weather and climate across spatial and temporal scales. He is especially interested in how vegetation dynamics and surface properties influence atmospheric processes, hydroclimatic variability, and climate feedbacks.
He obtained his Bachelor's degree from the Hebrew University and his Master's degree from the Weizmann Institute of Science. In his Master's thesis, he investigated the effects of local semi-arid afforestation on weather during heat extremes, using ICON model simulations. This work examined how land-cover changes modify surface-atmosphere coupling and local circulation patterns, with implications for regional climate feedbacks.
In his PhD research, Yotam investigates vegetation-climate feedbacks associated with the expansion of C₄ grasslands during the late Miocene, using Earth system models to examine how past vegetation change influenced global climate and what similar feedbacks may imply for future climate.
