Marine habitat mapping within the GR4210003 Natura site (Voreia Karpathos kai Saria kai Paraktia Thalassia Zoni)

The description and mapping of marine habitat types according to Annex I of Directive 92/43/EOK (EEC, 1992) and / or the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) in 66 of approximately 300 Greek NATURA 2000 network sites, were the subject of Research Work for the Ministry of Environment Planning and Public Works of Greece. This research project, under the name "Identification and description of habitat types at sites of interest for conservation", lasted from 1999 to 2002 and was carried out by the National Centre for Marine Research (NCMR, renamed as Hellenic Centre for Marine Research - HCMR since 2003) in association with the Institute of Marine Biology of Crete (IBCM, joined to HCMR since 2003), the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Fisheries Research Institute (FRI). The recognition and imprinting of marine habitat types was based on the combined use of aerial photos of scale 1:5000 acquired during the second half of 1999 for the needs of the project, data from the scientific echo sounder Sea-Bed discrimination system "RoxAnn", phytobenthos samples and in situ observations by scuba diving and underwater cameras. Regarding the sampling, hard bottom samplings were carried out using SCUBA diving. The samples were collected on hard substrates mainly in the upper infralittoral zone (30 to 50 cm below the lowest sea level). For the study of the soft bottom habitats, oceanographic cruses were carried out with the IMBC R/V “Filia”, using a Smith McIntyre sediment sampler.针对希腊约300个自然2000（NATURA 2000）网络保护地中的66个站点，本研究依据92/43/EOK指令（欧洲经济共同体，1992年）附录一以及/或欧洲自然信息系统（European Nature Information System, EUNIS）的标准，完成了海洋生境类型的描述与制图工作，该课题为希腊环境规划与公共工程部委托的研究项目。本项目全称为"保护关注区域生境类型的识别与描述"，实施周期为1999年至2002年，由国家海洋研究中心（National Centre for Marine Research, NCMR，2003年起更名为希腊海洋研究中心Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, HCMR）主导执行，合作单位包括克里特海洋生物学研究所（Institute of Marine Biology of Crete, IBCM，2003年起并入HCMR）、塞萨洛尼基亚里士多德大学以及渔业研究所（Fisheries Research Institute, FRI）。海洋生境类型的识别与成图标注工作，依托以下多源数据联合开展：为满足项目需求于1999年下半年获取的比例尺1:5000的航空影像、科学测深仪"RoxAnn"海底识别系统采集的观测数据、底栖植物样本，以及水肺潜水（SCUBA diving）与水下相机获取的原位观测资料。关于采样实施：硬质底质采样采用水肺潜水完成，样本采集于最低海平面以下30至50厘米的潮下带上部（upper infralittoral zone）硬质基质区域；软底质生境研究则借助IMBC的"Filia"号科考船开展海洋科考航次，使用Smith McIntyre沉积物采样器完成沉积物样本采集。