OCEAN LIFE ZONES

Zones are categorized into two groups, distance from shore and depth.

DISTANCE ZONES

• Intertidal Zone
• Netric Zone
• Oceanic Zone

Distance from shore influences the amount nutrients in the water. This is because the nutrients is washed off of land into water so the closer to land, the more nutrients.

DEPTH ZONES

• Photic Zone
• Aphotic Zone

The photic Zone is the first 200 meters of water under the surface. The aphotic zone is anything below 200 meters.

Sunlight can only penetrate so far underwater, affecting photosynthesis. Plants can only grow where the sun reaches. As the depth increases, water gets colder, loses sunlight, and gains pressure.