Deep sea

For the films, see Deep Sea 3D and Deep Sea (film).
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.