Learning Target: I can describe the different oceanic zones.

Warm Up: Read the Ocean Zones Book. Answer questions 1 - 5 using complete sentences on page 38 of your notebook. For question 5, create a Double Bubble Map or a Venn Diagram.

ocean zones book.pdf

Notes:

Oceanic Zones

The ocean can be divided into several types of regions and zones

• Benthic Zone - the ocean floor
• Pelagic Zone - the ocean waters

Pelagic Zone - divided by depth 

• Neritic Zone
• goes down about 200 meters and includes the seashore and the ocean over the continental shelf
• Oceanic Zone
• starts at 200 meters and goes to the ocean floor
• zone is the deepest, darkest part of ocean
• Intertidal Zone
• the area above water at low tide and below water at high tied
• between the tide marks

Pelagic Zone - divided into layers

• Euphotic Zone
• the top layer from surface to 100 - 200 meters down
• gets enough light to support plankton and most of the ocean's life
• Bathyal Zone
• called the twilight zone
• aphotic
• very little to no visible light
• high water pressure
• high number of creatures are able to live at this depth
• Abyssal Zone
• down to the ocean floor
• water temperature is near freezing
• aphotic - no light
• very few creatures can be found at these crushing depths
• mostly invertebrates
• three-fourths of the ocean floor lies within this zone