Neritic zone
| Marine habitats | |
|---|---|
Sargassum seaweed drifting in the neritic zone provides food and shelter for small epipelagic fish |
|
| Littoral zone | |
| Intertidal zone | |
| Estuaries | |
| Kelp forests | |
| Coral reefs | |
| Ocean banks | |
| Continental shelf | |
| Neritic zone | |
| Straits | |
| Pelagic zone | |
| Oceanic zone | |
| Seamounts | |
| Hydrothermal vents | |
| Cold seeps | |
| Demersal zone | |
| Benthic zone | |
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The neritic zone, also called coastal waters, the coastal ocean or the sublittoral zone,[1] is the part of the ocean extending from the low tide mark to the edge of the continental shelf, with a relatively shallow depth extending to about 200 meters (100 fathoms or 665 feet). The neritic zone has generally well-oxygenated water, low water pressure, and relatively stable temperature and salinity levels. These, combined with presence of light and the resulting photosynthetic life, such as phytoplankton and floating sargassum[2], make the neritic zone the location of the majority of sea life.
Zooplankton, free-floating creatures ranging from microscopic foraminiferans to small fish and shrimp, live in this zone, and together with the phytoplankton form the base of the food pyramid that supports most of the world's great fishing areas.
At the edge of the neritic zone the continental slope begins, descending from the continental shelf to the abyssal plain and the pelagic zone.
