Introduction
The coastline of Syria is about 170 km long, with only a few small islands (Fig. 10.3.1 ). The climate is Mediterranean, with hot dry summers and mild rainy winters. Tide ranges are small, rarely exceeding 40 cm, but there are larger fluctuations of sea level related to changes in barometric pressure, alternating onshore and offshore winds and occasional storm surges. Westerly and southwesterly winds are dominant, but the westerly fetch is limited by the proximity of Cyprus, and the southwest winds more important in producing waves and longshore drifting to the north. In summer, diurnal winds, stronger by day, produce short steep waves, and storm surges may occur in winter. In April and May, however, and also in autumn, winds are weak and the sea calm. Sea salinity is high (over 3.9%) and the water fairly warm, even in winter.
The coast of Syria.
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Notes
- 1.
Edited version of a chapter by Paul Sanlaville in The World’s Coastline (1985: 501–504).
Reference
Dalongeville R (1993) Recent variations on the Syrian coastline (in French). Quaternaire 4:45–53
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(2010). Syria. In: Bird, E.C.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of the World's Coastal Landforms. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8639-7_145
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