Marine habitat mapping within the GR1150010 Natura site (Delta Nestou kai Limnothalasses Keramotis - Evryteri Periochi kai Paraktia 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.针对希腊境内约300个NATURA 2000（欧盟自然2000）保护地中的66个，依据欧盟指令92/43/EOK（欧洲经济共同体，1992年）附件一及/或欧洲自然信息系统（European Nature Information System, EUNIS）开展的海洋生境类型描述与制图工作，是希腊环境规划与公共工程部研究项目的核心内容。本研究项目名称为"保护关注区域内生境类型的识别与描述"，执行周期为1999年至2002年，由希腊国家海洋研究中心（National Centre for Marine Research, NCMR，2003年更名为希腊海洋研究中心 - HCMR）联合克里特岛海洋生物学研究所（Institute of Marine Biology of Crete, IBCM，2003年并入HCMR）、塞萨洛尼基亚里士多德大学及渔业研究所（Fisheries Research Institute, FRI）共同完成。海洋生境类型的识别与标注工作，依托以下多源数据开展：为适配项目需求于1999年下半年获取的比例尺1:5000的航空照片、科学回声测深仪海床识别系统"RoxAnn"采集的数据、底栖植物样本，以及通过水肺潜水与水下摄像机开展的原位观测。关于采样作业：硬质底质采样通过水肺潜水方式实施，样本主要采集于最低海平面以下30至50厘米的上层亚潮带。针对软底质生境的研究，项目依托IMBC"菲莉亚（Filia）号科考船，使用Smith McIntyre沉积物采样器开展海洋学调查巡航。