Mesopelagic
The mesopelagic (Greek μέσον, middle) (also known as the "middle pelagic" or "twilight zone") is a
pelagic zone extending from 200 m (650 ft.) down to around 1000 m (3280 ft.) below sea level. It is located between the photicepipelagic and the aphoticbathypelagic , where there is nolight at all. Although some light penetrates this deep, it is insufficient forphotosynthesis . Though the temperature varies less at any one height than the epipelagic, the mesopelagic is the location of thethermocline , with temperatures varying from over 20°C at the top to around 4°C at the boundary with thebathyal zone . Animals such asswordfish ,squids ,wolf eels ,cuttlefish , and other semi-deepsea creatures live here. Also, there is enough sunlight for animals, such as thechain catshark , to befluorescent .
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Look at other dictionaries:
mesopelagic — /mizoʊpəˈlædʒɪk/ (say meezohpuh lajik) adjective of, relating to, or inhabiting the mesopelagic zone. {meso + pelagic} … Australian English dictionary
mesopelagic — ¦me|zō, ¦mē|, |sōˌ adjective Etymology: mes + pelagic : of, relating to, or inhabiting oceanic depths from about 600 to 3000 feet mesopelagic fish … Useful english dictionary
mesopelagic — adjective Date: 1947 of or relating to oceanic depths from about 600 feet to 3000 feet (200 to 1000 meters) … New Collegiate Dictionary
mesopelagic — pertaining to the midwaters of the ocean between 200 and 1100 (or 100 1000m or 150 2000) metres (sources differ). Generally characterized by dim light and steep temperature gradients … Dictionary of ichthyology
mesopelagic — adj. [Gr. mesos, middle; pelagos, sea] Pertaining to the pelagic zone of intermediate depth of 200 1000 m; between the epipelagic and bathypelagic zones … Dictionary of invertebrate zoology
mesopelagic — /mez euh peuh laj ik, mes , mee zeuh , seuh /, adj. Oceanog. of, pertaining to, or living in the ocean at a depth of between 600 ft. (180 m) and 3000 ft. (900 m). [1945 50; MESO + PELAGIC] * * * … Universalium
mesopelagic — adjective Describing a pelagic zone of the oceans between the photic epipelagic and the aphotic bathypelagic zones … Wiktionary
mesopelagic — Zone in the open ocean 200 1000m below the surface, or pertaining to it inhabitants [Butler, T.H.] … Crustacea glossary
mesopelagic — [ˌmɛsə(ʊ)pɪ ladʒɪk, ˌmɛz , ˌmi:s , ˌmi:z ] adjective Biology inhabiting the intermediate depths of the sea … English new terms dictionary
mesopelagic — meso·pelagic … English syllables
