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The abyssal zone or abyssopelagic zone is a layer of the pelagic zone of the ocean. The word abyss comes from the Greek word ἄβυσσος (ábussos), meaning "bottomless". [1] At depths of 4,000–6,000 m (13,000–20,000 ft), [2] this zone remains in perpetual darkness. [3] [4] It covers 83% of the total area of the ocean and 60% of Earth's ...
Altogether, the pelagic zone occupies 1,330 million km 3 (320 million mi 3) with a mean depth of 3.68 km (2.29 mi) and maximum depth of 11 km (6.8 mi). [2] [3] [4] Pelagic life decreases as depth increases. The pelagic zone contrasts with the benthic and demersal zones at the bottom of the sea. The benthic zone is the ecological region at the ...
Abyssal Zone: Beneath the thermocline is the deep ocean or abyssal zone, where temperatures remain relatively uniform, hovering just above freezing (0°-3°C). This cold, dense water originates from polar regions, where surface water cools, sinks, and spreads towards the equator along the ocean floor, forming the deep ocean circulation system.
If the water is exceptionally deep, the pelagic zone below 4,000 metres (2.5 miles) sometimes is called the lower midnight or abyssopelagic zone. Conditions are somewhat uniform throughout these zones, the darkness is complete, the pressure is crushing, and temperatures, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen levels are all low. [2]
Below this zone, the deep sea consists of the abyssal zone which occurs between the ocean depths of 3000 and 6000 meters [14] and the hadal zone (6000 – 11,000 meters). [ 15 ] [ 16 ] Food consists of falling organic matter known as ' marine snow ' and carcasses derived from the productive zone above, and is scarce both in terms of spatial and ...
The abyssopelagic zone is the portion of the ocean deeper than about 4,000 m (13,000 feet) and shallower than about 6,000 m (20,000 feet). The zone is defined mainly by its extremely uniform environmental conditions, as reflected in the distinct life forms inhabiting it. [ 8 ]
The Porcupine Abyssal Plain is a vast, relatively level stretch of seabed with a depth range of 4,000 to 4,850 m (13,120 to 15,910 ft). It has a muddy floor in the abyssopelagic zone and scattered rocky abyssal hills that rise into the bathypelagic zone forming seamounts and knolls. [2]
An abyssal plain is an underwater plain on the deep ocean floor, usually found at depths between 3,000 and 6,000 metres (9,800 and 19,700 ft).Lying generally between the foot of a continental rise and a mid-ocean ridge, abyssal plains cover more than 50% of the Earth's surface.