The Many Layers of the Ocean
With the ocean taking up over 70 percent of Earth it has been broken down to layers in order to classify the ocean depth and the components in each section that vary by location. The components in each layer are caused by many factors including sunlight, temperatures, weather, and many other factors that can vary from location.
The first layer is the Sunlight Zone which is located at the depth of approximately 200 meters. The Sunlight Zone is hit with the most amount of light from the sun which causes temperature changes based on location and seasons. (Layers of the Ocean, 2008) With high exposure to winds which moves the heat in the water and cause currents and waves which is strongest at the surface (Ocean's Vertical Structure Background, n.d.) of the Sunlight Zone. At the base of the Sunlight Zone is the start of the thermocline region at which the temperature dramatically decreases. (Layers of the Ocean, 2008)
The next layer is the Mesopelagic Zone, also known as the twilight zone, which is
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The Bathypelagic Zone has a constant temperature of 39 degree Fahrenheit and ranges from 1,000 to 4,000 meters, and has no sunlight that is able to penetrate to this depth which is why it is also known at the midnight zone. There is light that comes from the animals that live at this depth. The Abyssopelagic Zone it completely black and it at freezing temperatures. This zone ranges from 4,000 to 6,000 meters and account for almost two-thirds of the ocean floor. Very little marine life is able to live at this depth due to the weight of the water above them. The Hadalpelagic Zone is the deepest zone in the ocean and ranges from 6,000 to 10,911 meters, which is the depth of the Mariana Trench. There are some small single-celled organisms that are able to survive at this depth. (Layers of the Ocean,