Openocean
Open ocean refers to the portion of the marine environment beyond the edge of the continental shelf. It covers the pelagic zone, from the surface down to the deepest trenches, and is distinct from nearshore coastal waters and benthic seabed habitats. The open ocean is commonly divided into vertical zones by depth and light: epipelagic (0–200 meters), where photosynthesis occurs; mesopelagic (200–1000 meters); bathypelagic (1000–4000 meters); abyssopelagic (4000–6000 meters); and hadopelagic (below 6000 meters) in deep trenches.
Organisms range from microscopic phytoplankton and zooplankton to nekton such as fish, squid, marine mammals, and
Open-ocean oceanography is shaped by currents, temperature, salinity, and oxygen distribution. Thermoclines and oxygen minimum zones