The site lies between the latitudes 36.74°–36.92°N and the longitudes 34.70°–34.96°E and is naturally bounded by the Deliçay River, Tarsus River, and the Mediterranean Sea on the west, east, and south, respectively, covering an area of 234 km². Nearly 84% of this area is devoted to agricultural activities (e.g., open field farms, greenhouses, and citrus orchards). There are several small villages and towns scattered throughout the area with a total population of about 50,000 inhabitants (2011 census).

The site has an undulating topography (with elevations between 0 and 30 m a.s.l), due to the presence of sand dunes along the coast. The climate is typically Mediterranean, characterized by hot and dry summers (mean annual temperature is around 18 °C), and relatively mild and rainy winters (mean annual rainfall is 609.5 mm). In the area, groundwater derived from the underlying Quaternary–Recent fluvio-deltaic coastal aquifer is heavily relied upon for agricultural, industrial and domestic water demands. From the lithologic well logs, it can be inferred that the aquifers in the coastal plain are mostly confined or semi-confined in nature due to the presence of thick (20–100 m) clay–silt layers or lenses.

Two major salinization sources are delineated at the site, including seawater intrusion and dissolution of evaporitic series related to the Messinian Salinity Crisis. Groundwater resources of the Tarsus coastal plain are being exploited heavily and they are under a serious threat from nonpoint source pollution from the agricultural land use practices and saltwater intrusion due to overexploitation.