OCEANIC LIFE ZONES There are 2 major Ocean

OCEANIC LIFE ZONES

There are 2 major Ocean Zones: ¨ Pelagic – involves the water column ¨ Benthic – involves the sea floor ¨ These groups are subdivided into horizontal zones based on depth, and vertical zones based on coastal or open ocean areas.

Horizontal life zones ¨ Littoral Zone – The shallow water area between high and low tides. ¨ Neritic Zone – The area of the continental margin between the low tide line and the edge of the continental shelf. ¨ Oceanic Zone – The deep ocean beyond the continental margin.

Horizontal Zones Diagram

Horizontal Benthic Zone ¨ Littoral: the intertidal zone that is alternately covered and uncovered by the tides. ¨ Bathyl: covers the continental shelf. ¨ Abyssal: covers the continental slope down to deep ocean basins ¨ Hadal: the bottom of the deep sea trenches

Vertical Zones, Life and Light ¨ Sunlight is the energy basis for nearly all marine ecosystems and is therefore critical for life. ¨ The sunlit (photic) zone receives large amounts of sunlight. As a result many of the oceans organisms thrive here. This the area most of our seafood comes from.

Vertical Zones, Life and Light ¨ Twilight Zone – an area of the ocean that receives some light but is darker than the sunlit zone. Some fish and other organisms live here. ¨ Bathyal and Abyssal Zones are in complete darkness. Life forms in these zones contain tube worms, lantern fish, angler fish, as well as other forms of life.

Vertical Zones ¨ epipelagic Extends from the surface of the ocean to a depth of 200 meters. ¨ mesopelagic the area of the ocean between 200 meters and 1, 000 meters. ¨ bathypelagic extends from 1, 000 meters to 4, 000 meters. ¨ abyssopelagic the area of the ocean that is deeper than 4, 000 meters.

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