The open oceans or pelagic ecosystems are the areas away from the coastal boundaries and above the seabed . It encompasses the entire water column and lies beyond the edge of the continental shelf. It extends from the tropics to the polar regions and from the sea surface to the abyssal depths.
What is considered the open ocean?
The pelagic zone, also known as the open ocean, is the area of the ocean outside of coastal areas . ... Epipelagic zone (ocean surface to 200 meters deep). This is the zone in which photosynthesis can occur, because light is available.
How many open oceans are there?
There is only one global ocean .
Historically, there are four named oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic. However, most countries – including the United States – now recognize the Southern (Antarctic) as the fifth ocean. The Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian are the most commonly known.
Where does the open ocean begin?
1. The epipelagic zone (or upper open ocean) is the part of the ocean where there is enough sunlight for algae to utilize photosynthesis (the process by which organisms use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into food). Generally speaking, this zone reaches from the sea surface down to approximately 200 m (650 feet).
Is there life in the open ocean?
Most life in the open ocean is found in the photic zone . Animals, protists, plants, and bacteria that float or drift in ocean water are called plankton. They are moved around the open ocean by surface currents and wind. ... In the open ocean there are many types of swimmers including fish, whales, and sharks.
What are the 3 zones of the ocean?
There are three main ocean zones based on distance from shore. They are the intertidal zone, neritic zone, and oceanic zone .
What are the 3 layers of the open ocean?
The ocean has three primary layers. 2. The layers are the surface layer (sometimes referred to as the mixed layer), the thermocline and the deep ocean .
What is the smallest ocean?
The Central Arctic Ocean is the world’s smallest ocean and is surrounded by Eurasia and North America.
At what depth is there no light in the ocean?
Light may be detected as far as 1,000 meters down in the ocean, but there is rarely any significant light beyond 200 meters . The ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level. Although some sea creatures depend on light to live, others can do without it.
How much of the ocean is unexplored 2020?
More than eighty percent of our ocean is unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. Much remains to be learned from exploring the mysteries of the deep.
Does anything live in the middle of the ocean?
Only a few species are true residents, such as tuna, billfish, flying fish, sauries, pilotfish, remoras, dolphinfish, ocean sharks, and ocean sunfish. Most of these species migrate back and forth across open oceans, rarely venturing over continental shelves.
Which ocean zone is the warmest?
The epipelagic zone tends to be the warmest layer of the ocean.
What are the 7 zones of the ocean?
- Sunlight Zone. This zone extends from the surface down to about 700 feet. ...
- Twilight Zone. This zone extends from 700 feet down to about 3,280 feet. ...
- The Midnight Zone. ...
- The Abyssal Zone. ...
- The Trenches.
What animals live in the open sea?
mollusks such as octopus and squid as well as many mammals including species of whales and dolphins . plankton. Whales, sharks, octopus, dolphins, sea cucumbers, squids.
Do sharks live in the open ocean?
Pelagic or oceanic sharks live in the open waters of seas and oceans . They inhabit tropical and temperate waters, and many are migratory. ... However, there are also three species of large plankton eating filter feeders – the whale shark, the basking shark and the megamouth shark.
Which subzone is best known to humans?
The deepest subzone is the hadopelagic zone , a name that originates from the Greek underworld Hades and refers to the ocean water in submarine trenches.
