Morphological description of the southeastern Cyprus outer shelf and slope regions (eastern Mediterranean)

Abstract

We present here the first results of the analysis and interpretation of the swath bathymetry and side scan sonar data collected along the southeastern outer shelf and upper slope regions of the Cyprus insular margin (offshore Cape Greco). The resultant bathymetric model and the derivatives (e.g.: slope, aspect, benthic position index) are presented and analyzed in order to describe the morphology of the seabed and the main geomorphological features through quantitative indicators including morphometric indexes and statistical descriptors. The presence of deep sea coral communities (Dendrophylia ramea) in a particular location of the surveyed area is also discussed and tentatively related to the landscape morphology where the colonies are settled