Oceanic zone

Marine habitats
The oceanic zone is the deep, open-ocean water that lies off the continental slopes
Coastal habitats
Littoral zone Intertidal zone Estuaries Mangrove forests Seagrass meadows Kelp forests Coral reefs Continental shelf Neritic zone
Ocean surface
Surface microlayer Epipelagic zone
Open ocean
Pelagic zone Oceanic zone
Sea floor
Seamounts Hydrothermal vents Cold seeps Demersal zone Benthic zone Marine sediment
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The oceanic zone is typically defined as the area of the ocean lying beyond the continental shelf (e.g. the neritic zone), but operationally is often referred to as beginning where the water depths drop to below 200 metres (660 ft), seaward from the coast into the open ocean with its pelagic zone.

It is the region of open sea beyond the edge of the continental shelf and includes 65% of the ocean's completely open water. The oceanic zone has a wide array of undersea terrain, including trenches that are often deeper than Mount Everest is tall, as well as deep-sea volcanoes and basins. While it is often difficult for life to sustain itself in this type of environment, many species have adapted and do thrive in the oceanic zone.

The open ocean is vertically divided into four zones: the sunlight zone, twilight zone, midnight zone, and abyssal zone.