Neritic zone

Neritic zone
Marine habitats
Sargassum seaweed drifting in the neritic zone provides food and shelter for small epipelagic fish

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
v · d · e

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 shelves end, rapidly descending to the deeper oceanic crust and the pelagic zone.

See also

References

  1. ^ Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Botany
  2. ^ Office of Naval Research

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  • neritic zone — neritinė zona statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Jūros pakrantės sritis, esanti šelfe iki neritic zone200 m gylio (joje gausu įvairių organizmų, žuvų). atitikmenys: angl. neritic zone vok. neritische Zone, f rus. неритическая… …   Ekologijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

  • neritic zone — ▪ oceanography       shallow marine environment extending from mean low water down to 200 metre (660 foot) depths, generally corresponding to the continental shelf. Neritic waters are penetrated by varying amounts of sunlight, which permits… …   Universalium

  • neritic zone — The shallow pelagic zone over the continental shelf …   Fisheries — dictionary

  • neritic zone — The region of shallow water over the continental shelf that is subdivided into supratidal (wave splash area), intertidal (littoral), and subtidal regions …   Dictionary of invertebrate zoology

  • neritic zone — noun the ocean waters from the low tide mark to a depth of about 100 fathoms • Hypernyms: ↑ocean floor, ↑sea floor, ↑ocean bottom, ↑seabed, ↑sea bottom, ↑Davy Jones s locker, ↑Davy Jones …   Useful english dictionary

  • neritic — [nē rit′ik, nərit′ik] adj. [< Gr nēritēs, a sea snail (< Nereus, NEREUS) + IC] designating or of the ecological zone (neritic zone) of the continental shelf extending from low tide to a depth of c. 100 fathoms ( c. 180 m) …   English World dictionary

  • neritic — adjective 1. of or relating to the region of the sea over the continental shelf which is less than 200 meters deep neritic fauna neritic oil • Pertains to noun: ↑neritic zone 2. relating to the region of shallow water adjoining the seacoast… …   Useful english dictionary

  • neritic — NERÍTIC, Ă, neritici, ce, adj. 1. (În sintagma) Regiune (sau zonă) neritică = zonă a fundului mării situată în apropierea ţărmului continental, caracterizată prin adâncimi ale apei mai mici de 200 de metri. 2. Care provine din regiunea neritică… …   Dicționar Român

  • neritic — /neuh rit ik/ adj. of or pertaining to the region of water lying directly above the sublittoral zone of the sea bottom. Cf. oceanic, pelagic. [ < G neritisch (1890), appar. after Gk Nereís NEREID or Nereús NEREUS, though derivation is unclear;… …   Universalium

  • neritic — ne•rit•ic [[t]nəˈrɪt ɪk[/t]] ecl oce adj. of or pertaining to the region of water lying directly above the sublittoral zone of the sea bottom. • Etymology: < G neritisch (1890), appar. after Gk Nērēís Nereid or Nēreús Nereus; see ic …   From formal English to slang

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