File:Pelagiczone.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
pelagic zone
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any water that is neither close to the bottom nor near the shore
The pelagic zone is the open ocean water that is far from both the seafloor and the shoreline. It matters because it contains the vast majority of ocean life and plays a crucial role in global ecosystems and climate systems.
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Layers of the pelagic zone (scaled)
The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean and can be further divided into regions by depth. The word pelagic is derived from Ancient Greek πέλαγος (pélagos) 'open sea'. The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the surface of the sea and the bottom.