Deep sea

Schematic representation of pelagic and benthic zones

The deep sea is broadly defined as the ocean depth where light begins to fade, at an approximate depth of 200 m (660 ft) or the point of transition from continental shelves to continental slopes.[1][2] Conditions within the deep sea are a combination of low temperatures, darkness, and high pressure.[3] The deep sea is considered the least explored Earth biome as the extreme conditions make the environment difficult to access and explore.[4]

Organisms living within the deep sea have a variety of adaptations to survive in these conditions.[5] Organisms can survive in the deep sea through a number of feeding methods including scavenging, predation and filtration, with a number of organisms surviving by feeding on marine snow.[6] Marine snow is organic material that has fallen from upper waters into the deep sea.[7]

In 1960, the bathyscaphe Trieste descended to the bottom of the Mariana Trench near Guam, at 10,911 m (35,797 ft; 6.780 mi), the deepest known spot in any ocean. If Mount Everest (8,848 m or 29,029 ft or 5.498 mi) were submerged there, its peak would be more than 2 km (1.2 mi) beneath the surface. After the Trieste was retired, the Japanese remote-operated vehicle (ROV) Kaikō was the only vessel capable of reaching this depth until it was lost at sea in 2003.[8] In May and June 2009, the hybrid-ROV Nereus returned to the Challenger Deep for a series of three dives to depths exceeding 10,900 m (35,800 ft; 6.8 mi).

  1. ^ Tyler, P. A. (2003). In Ecosystems of the World 28, Ecosystems of the Deep Sea. Amsterdam: Elsevier. pp. 1–3.
  2. ^ "What is the "deep" ocean? : Ocean Exploration Facts: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research". oceanexplorer.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  3. ^ Paulus, Eva (2021). "Shedding Light on Deep-Sea Biodiversity—A Highly Vulnerable Habitat in the Face of Anthropogenic Change". Frontiers in Marine Science. 8. doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.667048. ISSN 2296-7745.
  4. ^ Danovaro, Roberto; Corinaldesi, Cinzia; Dell’Anno, Antonio; Snelgrove, Paul V. R. (2017-06-05). "The deep-sea under global change". Current Biology. 27 (11): R461–R465. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2017.02.046. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 28586679. S2CID 20785268.
  5. ^ Brown, Alastair; Thatje, Sven (2013). "Explaining bathymetric diversity patterns in marine benthic invertebrates and demersal fishes: physiological contributions to adaptation of life at depth". Biological Reviews. 89 (2): 406–426. doi:10.1111/brv.12061. ISSN 1464-7931. PMC 4158864. PMID 24118851.
  6. ^ Higgs, Nicholas D.; Gates, Andrew R.; Jones, Daniel O. B. (2014-05-07). "Fish Food in the Deep Sea: Revisiting the Role of Large Food-Falls". PLOS ONE. 9 (5): e96016. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...996016H. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0096016. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4013046. PMID 24804731.
  7. ^ US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "What is marine snow?". oceanservice.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  8. ^ Horstman, Mark (2003-07-09). "Hope floats for lost deep-sea explorer". www.abc.net.au. Archived from the original on 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2021-05-07.