Ocean Zones Open ocean, significantly distant from the continental shelves, is collectively known as the pelagic zone

of the ocean. The name is derived from the Greek plagos which means "openocean". The pelagic zone is divided into five sub-zones of increasing depth: the epipelagic zone, mesopelagic zone, bathypelagic zone, abyssoplegic zone, and reserved for deep sea trenches only the hadeoplegic zone. The epipelagic zone extends from the surface down to 200 meters (656 ft), and is the brightest of the zones (and one of the only two with much light at all). This is where most of the familiar creatures of the sea hang out, like much of the fish we eat and the coral reefs which catch our ships by surprise. The area is rich with photosynthesizing microorganisms, which are consumed by larger organisms all the way up the food chain to creatures like sharks. The name "epipelagic" roughly means "top zone of the ocean." The mesopelagic zone (from 200 m down to around 1,000 m or 3,280 feet) is the twilight zone. The name roughly means "middle of the ocean". The biodensity here is less than that of the epipelagic zone above because the light penetration rapidly drops off in the lower regions of this zone. Collectively, the epipelagic and top of the mesopelagic zones are known as the photic zone, meaning light gets to them. Semi-deep sea creatures such as theSwordfish and Wolf Eels live here.

The bathypelagic zone extends from 1,000 m underwater to around 4,000 m (13,123 feet) underwater. Very little light reaches this depth, and as such no living plants can be found here. The deep sea animals which live here are adapted to consuming the snow of organic detritus that continually falls from above. Giant and Colossal Squid can be found here, as well as sperm whales. The deepest zones are the abyssopelagic and hadeopelagic, meaning "bottomless ocean" and "hellish ocean" respectively. The abyssopelagic receives no light whatsoever, and is the region located deeper than 4,000 m underwater. Bottom-feeders live here, many of which have scoopshaped jaws to lift detritus from the ocean floor. The very bottom of the oceans tends to be filled with a layer of organic muck a few inches in depth, like a forest floor. Very little is known about these regions, however, as only the hardiest deep-diving robots can make it down here.

Part 2 Sunlight Zone

This ocean zone is from the surface of the sea down to a depth of about 200 meters. As you begin your descent you see that the ocean is absolutely teeming with life forms of every sort. From the microscopic plankton and diatoms that give the ocean its murky color and limits visibility, to bony fishes of every shape and size, to starfishes, and warm-blooded, oxygen-breathing mammals. You can see the most fantastic array of colors; reds, pinks, purples, bright yellows, oranges, blues, greens. Everywhere you look the ocean is brimming with brightly colored life forms, much more so than anything on land. As you swim down deeper, it seems that the colors begin to fade and the palette of life is becoming more monochromatic. In fact, the

colors are not disappearing, you simply are not able to see them. Water, especially murky, turbid water, scatters and absorbs some of the sun's light, filtering out colors below certain depths.The first colors to go are the reds, then oranges, yellows, greens, and then finally blues. You may reach a certain depth, say about 60 feet, and it appears that everything around you is shades of brown, black, gray and white. But lucky for you you brought a bright dive light. You turn on the light and once again marvel at the incredible variety of colors, even at that depth. The sunlight zone of the sea contains some of the most plentiful, but tiny organisms in the ocean, krill (a type of crustacean). Their existence is responsible for sustaining the largest living creatures on earth the Blue Whales.
As you dive deeper in the sunlight life zone of the sea, you will also quickly notice the effects of hydrostatic pressure on your body. The deeper you dive the more water is over the top of you. The more gallons of water you put between you and the surface of the ocean, the greater the pressure is on your body because of the weight of the water over the top of you. You can really get a sense of hydrostatic pressure as you dive deeper because you'll feel the pressure against your ear drums, like they're being squeezed, or pushed in. You'll need to equalize the pressure against your eardrums to avoid rupturing them, so you descend slowly to prevent them from being damaged. Once you get down to about a depth of 100 feet you will feel the pressure against every square inch of your body. It really becomes noticeable as you breathe. At a depth of 100 feet, the size and volume of your lungs has been reduced to 1/3rd their capacity at sea level. You will also notice that it is much darker at 100 feet and COLD. The lack of sunlight at that depth also means the ocean is not getting warmed by sunlight, either. At a depth of about 180 feet you've pretty much reached the limit of safe diving for a human breathing compressed air. Because of the possible hazards of nitrogen narcosis, hypothermia, fatigue, and the need for decompression after a deep dive, you'll need to return to the surface and put on a special suit to dive deeper into the next zone

Ocean Zones

If you look beneath the surface of the open ocean, you'll find a diverse and unique environment.

Plumbing the Ocean Depths

The open ocean makes up about 65 percent of ocean water. It is the water away from the coastal waters and contains a wide variety of life. The ocean can be divided into two basic areas: the benthic zone or ocean floor and the pelagic zone or ocean waters.

Entering the Twilight Zone

Animals that live in the twilight zone must be able to survive cold temperatures, an increase in water pressure and dark waters. There are no plants in this zone, because there is not enough light for photosynthesis. Octopus, squid, and the hatchet fish are some of the animals that can be found in this zone. Many animals in this zone have thin bodies that help them hide from predators. Other organisms in this zone are red or black in color to better blend in with the dark water. When a predator is looking up at them, they are so thin that they are hard to see! Some fish, like viper fish and the hatchet fish, have sharp fangs and large mouths that help them catch food. Other fish have large eyes that help them see in the dark waters. Most of the fish in this zone don't chase their food. They either stalk it or wait for it to float or swim by. Some animals that live in this zone make their own light with bioluminescence. They make light with special organs in their bodies called photophores. The photophores give off a greenish light.

From Sunlight to Darkness

The pelagic region is divided into three zones. The top zone is theeuphotic or su nlit zone. This is the ocean zone that sunlight penetrates. Because this zone gets sunlight, photosynthesis can occur and plants can grow here. The sunlit zone goes down to about 660 feet. The next zone is the dysphotic or twilight zone. Some sunlight reaches this zone, but not enough forphotosynthesis to occur. The dysphotic zone goes down to about 3,300 feet. The last zone is theaphotic or midnight zone. No sunlight reaches this zone and it can reach depths of close to 20,000 feet. Sometimes people divide the midnight zone into two zones: the aphotic zone and theabyss.

Deep in Darkness
It is very cold and completely dark in the midnight zone. Water pressure can be as much as two tons per square inch. Life isn't easy here and this zone has fewer organisms than the other zones. Because there is no light in this zone, some animals don't have eyes. There are no plants in this zone.

Let the Sun Shine In

The sunlit zone is home to a wide variety of marine species because plants can grow here and water temperatures are relatively warm. Lots of marine animals can be found in the sunlit zone

including sharks, tuna, mackerel, jellyfish, sea turtles, seals and sea lions and stingrays. There are not a lot of places to hide in the sunlit zone! Some species have an adaptation called countershading. These animals are dark on the top and lighter on their undersides. When a predator is looking down on them from above, they blend into the darker waters below. When a predator is looking at them from below, they blend into the lighter waters above.

Epipelagic Zone - The surface layer of the ocean is known as the epipelagic zone and extends from the surface to 200 meters (656 feet). It is also known as the sunlight zone because this is where most of the visible light exists. With the light come heat. This heat is responsible for the wide range of temperatures that occur in this zone. Mesopelagic Zone - Below the epipelagic zone is the mesopelagic zone, extending from 200 meters (656 feet) to 1000 meters (3281 feet). The mesopelagic zone is sometimes referred to as the twilight zone or the midwater zone. The light that penetrates to this depth is extremely faint. It is in this zone that we begin to see the twinkling lights of bioluminescent creatures. A great diversity of strange and bizarre fishes can be found here. Bathypelagic Zone - The next layer is called the bathypelagic zone. It is sometimes referred to as the midnight zone or the dark zone. This zone extends from 1000 meters (3281 feet) down to 4000 meters (13,124 feet). Here the only visible light is that produced by the creatures themselves. The water pressure at this depth is immense, reaching 5,850 pounds per square inch. In spite of the pressure, a surprisingly large number of creatures can be found here. Sperm whales can dive down to this level in search of food. Most of the animals that live at these depths are black or red in color due to the lack of light. Abyssopelagic Zone - The next layer is called the abyssopelagic zone, also known as the abyssal zone or simply as the abyss. It extends from 4000 meters (13,124 feet) to 6000 meters (19,686 feet). The name comes from a Greek word meaning "no bottom". The water temperature is near freezing, and there is no light at all. Very few creatures can be found at these crushing depths. Most of these are invertebrates such as basket stars and iny squids. Three-quarters of the ocean floor lies within this zone. The deepest fish ever discovered was found in the Puerto Rico Trench at a depth of 27,460 feet (8,372 meters). Hadalpelagic Zone - Beyond the abyssopelagic zone lies the forbidding hadalpelagic zone. This layer extends from 6000 meters (19,686 feet) to the bottom of the deepest parts of the ocean. These areas are mostly found in deep water trenches and canyons. The deepest point in the ocean is located in the

Mariana Trench off the coast of Japan at 35,797 feet (10,911 meters). The temperature of the water is just above freezing, and the pressure is an incredible eight tons per square inch. That is approximately the weight of 48 Boeing 747 jets. In spite of the pressure and temperature, life can still be found here. Invertebrates such as starfish and tube worms can thrive at these depths.