A field Study of some Natural Habitats of Syrian Continental Shelf: General Characteristics and their Biological Consequences

Abstract

Detailed survey was carried out during the period 2014-2021 along the entire Syrian coast, from Al-Samra area in the far north down to Sheikh Jaber, south of Al-Hamidiyah. The results defined the available submerged and emerged marine habitats above the continental shelf: seven submerged ridges were documented, along with five ridges that terminate in distinctive islands, and three marine rises that extend into shoals at low tides, were identified.  The study also revealed the presence of 40.9 km of rocky shoreline; some of them are covered with the bivalve mollusc B. pharaonic: they extend mostly along the northern Syrian coast. This is in addition to eight terraces rich in benthic flora and fauna.

These marine habitats have been described, with particular attention to documenting their geographical coordinates, elevations above the seabed, distance from the shore, and locations on sea cliffs, along with their biological indicators and their role in protecting marine biodiversity in general. The diversity of these habitats on the Syrian continental shelf and the variation in their general characteristics contribute to the selection of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), each with its own distinct physical and biological characteristics, to protect a wider range of marine species. The results were discussed in the light of the available literature on the habitats of some continental shelves in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean.