Environment Classification Methods

Marine scientists classify marine environments by dividing the seas into many different regions based on physical characteristics.

Ocean Zones

The pelagic and benthic zones The most basic division of the ocean based on location is between the water column and the bottom. The water portion is called the pelagic zone. The bottom is called the benthic zone.

The neritic and oceanic zones The pelagic zone is divided into two horizontal zones – neritic and oceanic. The neritic zone is the water area between the low tide mark to the edge of the continental shelf. The oceanic zone is the open water area beyond that.

the epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssalpelagic, and hadalpelagic zones The oceanic zone is further divided into vertical regions called the epipelagic zone, mesopelagic zone, bathypelagic zone, abyssalpelagic zone, and the hadalpelagic zone.

The _____________ is the top layer that sunlight penetrates. Below the _____________ lies the _____________, which sunlight reaches but not strongly enough to support life. Below the _____________ are the bathypelagic, _____________, and the _____________. The bathypelagic zone is the deep water in the open ocean. The _____________ is the even deeper water in oceanic trenches. _____________ is the deeper water in the ocean trenches.

The _____________ is divided based on depth. the supralittoral, littoral, sublittoral, outer sublittoral, bathyal, abyssal, and hadal zones The _____________ is divided based on depth. Moving from shore toward the open ocean, the first zone is the _____________. This is the zone that water splashes, but it does not remain submerged. Beyond that lies the _____________, which is the bottom area between the high-tide and low-tide mark so that is sometimes submerged and sometimes above water.

Beyond the _____________ is the continental shelf Beyond the _____________ is the continental shelf. This area is divided into the sublittoral zone and outer _____________ The _____________ is the ocean bottom close to shore. The outer _____________ is the ocean bottom out to the edge of the continental shelf.

The _____________ is the bottom along the continual slope down to the _____________. The deep open ocean bottom is called the _____________. The deepest zone, areas below 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) is called the _____________.