The ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level.
Dark deep ocean floor.
Sunlight does not penetrate to the sea floor making these deep dark ecosystems less productive than those along the continental shelf.
Deep sea exploration has revealed varied landscapes which include volcanoes seamounts hydrothermal vents and cold seeps.
The deep sea is a relatively mysterious and unknown part of the earth as only about 1 of the ocean floor has been explored by humans.
But despite their name these plains are not uniformly flat.
See how these deep sea denizens make the most of their deep dark home.
Deep sea creatures photos adaptation is the name of the game when you live thousands of feet below the water s surface.
The deep sea or deep layer is the lowest layer in the ocean existing below the thermocline and above the seabed at a depth of 1000 fathoms 1800 m or more.
Scuba divers can explore only to about 40 meters while most submarines dive only to about 500 meters.
Although some sea creatures depend on light to live others can do without it.
The deep ocean is dark very cold and has tremendous pressure from the overlying water.
The glowing mystery hole about 155 feet below the water s surface.
Scientists are flocking to florida s gulf coast for a glimpse of a mysterious 425 feet deep blue hole on the ocean floor.
Little or no light penetrates this part of the ocean and most of the organisms that live there rely for subsistence on falling organic matter produced in the photic zone for this reason scientists once assumed that life would be sparse.
Scientific research submersibles have explored the ocean s deepest trenches but most are designed to reach only the ocean floor.