What is the light in the epipelagic zone?

What is the light in the epipelagic zone?

Epipelagic Zone – The surface layer of the ocean is known as the epipelagic zone and extends from the surface to 200 meters (656 feet). It is also known as the sunlight zone because this is where most of the visible light exists. With the light come heat.

What is unique about the epipelagic or sunlight zone?

The Epipelagic zone is the uppermost layer of the ocean; it is located between the surface and 600 feet in depth. It is in this thin layer that all photosynthesis takes place. The epipelagic zone only represents 2-3% of the entire ocean, beyond this, light is too dim for photosynthesis to occur.

What is the zone where sunlight can penetrate?

euphotic
From Sunlight to Darkness The top zone is the euphotic or sunlit zone. This is the ocean zone that sunlight penetrates. Because this zone gets sunlight, photosynthesis can occur and plants can grow here. The sunlit zone goes down to about 660 feet.

How far does sunlight penetrate the sea?

Sunlight entering the water may travel about 1,000 meters into the ocean under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light beyond 200 meters. The ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level. The upper 200 meters of the ocean is called the euphotic, or “sunlight,” zone.

Is there light at the bottom of the ocean?

After the aphotic zone, there’s complete darkness. From 1,000 meters below the surface, all the way to the sea floor, no sunlight penetrates the darkness; and because photosynthesis can’t take place, there are no plants, either. As the ALVIN reaches the bottom of the ocean, there is no natural light.

What happens in the epipelagic zone?

The epipelagic zone (or upper open ocean) is the part of the ocean where there is enough sunlight for algae to utilize photosynthesis (the process by which organisms use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into food). Generally speaking, this zone reaches from the sea surface down to approximately 200 m (650 feet).

How much light is in the epipelagic zone?

From the base of the epipelagic zone to a depth of about 850 meters, there is still enough light for a human to see. The second zone between 200 meters and 1,000 meters is known as the “twilight zone”. Some light penetrates as far as 1000 meters down into the ocean.

What is the average temperature of the epipelagic zone?

In the epipelagic zone, temperature reaches as high as 97º Fahrenheit 36º C in the Persian Gulf. Near the poles, it gets as cold as 28º F -3ºC.

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