The marine aquatic ecosystem can be classified according to criteria that involve luminosity penetration and the stratification of nineis in the water column.
- As for the gradation of light, the marine environment is divided into: euphotic zone and aphotic zone:
euphotic zone → comprises the region in which the light incidence can penetrate the water column, generally comprising about 200 meters deep, according to turbidity (tone of water as a result of saturation of particles in suspension). It corresponds to the range with a considerable concentration of organisms, including photosynthetic microorganisms (autotrophic).
aphotic zone → represents the marine region that does not receive any interference from light incidence. The (heterotrophic) organisms that inhabit this range depend on the availability of oxygen and absorbed organic matter, respectively dissolved and percolated (decanted) from the euphotic zone.
- As for depth, the marine environment is divided into: coastal zone, neritic zone, abatial zone and abyssal zone.
coastal zone → existing limit between the level of the tides (high and low).
neritic zone → region that reaches approximately 200 meters in depth, extending about 50 to 60 km from the coastal margin. It represents the limit with the highest biomass and aquatic productivity, harboring a large number of organisms.
abatement zone → located below the neritic zone, it lies between 200 to 2000 meters deep.
abyssal zone → deeper marine environment, located between 2000 meters deep and the oceanic substrate, being a totally aphotic region (without light), where few life forms inhabit.
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By Krukemberghe Fonseca
Graduated in Biology
Brazil School Team
Ecology - Biology - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
RIBEIRO, Krukemberghe Divine Kirk da Fonseca. "Classification of marine environments"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/biologia/classificacao-dos-ambientes-marinhos.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
