Neritic zone: Difference between revisions
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[[Category:Physical oceanography]] |
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[[Category:Aquatic biomes]] |
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whitehouse.com |
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[[ar:جرف قاري]] |
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[[et:Neriitiline vöönd]] |
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Revision as of 18:59, 27 November 2012
| Marine habitats |
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| Coastal habitats |
| Ocean surface |
| Open ocean |
| Sea floor |
 | This article needs attention from an expert in Oceans. Please add a reason or a talk parameter to this template to explain the issue with the article. (November 2009) |
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 (109 fathoms or 656 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.
See also
References
whitehouse.com