Open ocean
Open Ocean
The Open Ocean (pronunciation: /ˈoʊpən ˈoʊʃən/), also known as the pelagic zone or marine pelagic zone, is the area of the ocean outside of coastal areas. It is the part of the oceanic zone that includes the entire ocean water column not adjacent to the bottom or near the shore. The open ocean is the largest biome on Earth, covering over 65% of the planet's surface.
Etymology
The term "Open Ocean" is derived from the Latin word "aperire" meaning "to open", and the Greek word "ὠκεανός" (Okeanós) meaning "great river or sea". The term "pelagic" is derived from the Greek word "πέλαγος" (pélagos) which means "open sea".
Related Terms
- Pelagic Zone: The water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth.
- Marine Biology: The study of organisms in the ocean or other marine bodies of water.
- Oceanography: The study of the physical and biological aspects of the ocean.
- Benthic Zone: The ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers.
- Neritic Zone: The relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately 200 meters in depth.
- Abyssal Zone: The abyssal zone is a layer of the pelagic zone of the ocean. "Abyss" derives from the Greek word ἄβυσσος, meaning bottomless.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Open ocean
- Wikipedia's article - Open ocean
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