pelagic
Of deep waters
Pelagic describes the open sea, away from shore and above the ocean floor.
Pelagic fish like tuna and mackerel swim in open water rather than near coasts or bottoms.
Pelagic zones are the water column itself, distinct from coastal or benthic (seafloor) environments.
The word appears mainly in marine biology and oceanography: pelagic ecosystems, pelagic species.
Mid-depth ocean layer
- thermoclineRapid temperature-change layer
- haloclineSharp saltiness change layer
- photicOf or concerning light
- aphoticReceiving no light
Drifting marine microlife
- phytoplanktonPhotosynthetic aquatic drifters
- zooplanktonDrifting aquatic microorganisms
- krillSmall marine crustaceans
- jellyfishDrifting marine stinger
copepods · diatoms · cyanobacteria · tuna · mackerel · sardine · anchovy · herring
Away from land
- blue-waterOf the open ocean
- vastnessState of being immense
- horizonApparent earth-sky meeting
- boundlessWithout any boundaries
deep-sea · oceanic · seascape · immensity · remote · untethered · free-swimming
Releasing eggs to reproduce
- schoolingFormal education received
- shoalingWater becoming less deep
- seasonalRecurring at fixed intervals
- breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
navigation · transatlantic · transpacific · bluefin · salmon · whales · leatherback · tracking
Multi-hook commercial fishing method
- purse-seineEncircling net with drawstring
- trollingProvoking reactions online
- driftnetFloating fish-catching mesh
- bycatchNon-target species caught accidentally
quota · fishery · trawling · commercial · sustainable · overfishing · catch · fleet
Relating to feeding
- upwellingDeep water rising surfaceward
- downwellingFluid sinking from surface
- chlorophyllLight-harvesting plant pigment
- photosynthesisLight-to-sugar conversion in plants
biomass · nutrient-rich · productivity · bloom · gyre · currents · bioluminescence
mesopelagic
Mid-depth ocean layer
- thermoclineRapid temperature-change layer
- haloclineSharp saltiness change layer
- photicOf or concerning light
aphotic · sunlit · twilight · midnight · benthic · neritic · oceanic
plankton
Drifting marine microlife
- phytoplanktonPhotosynthetic aquatic drifters
- zooplanktonDrifting aquatic microorganisms
- krillSmall marine crustaceans
jellyfish · copepods · diatoms · cyanobacteria · tuna · mackerel · sardine · anchovy · herring · marlin
offshore
Away from land
- blue-waterOf the open ocean
- vastnessState of being immense
- horizonApparent earth-sky meeting
boundless · deep-sea · oceanic · seascape · immensity · remote · untethered · free-swimming
spawning
Releasing eggs to reproduce
- schoolingFormal education received
- shoalingWater becoming less deep
- seasonalRecurring at fixed intervals
breeding · navigation · transatlantic · transpacific · bluefin · salmon · whales · leatherback · tracking · tagging
longlining
Multi-hook commercial fishing method
- purse-seineEncircling net with drawstring
- trollingProvoking reactions online
- driftnetFloating fish-catching mesh
bycatch · quota · fishery · trawling · commercial · sustainable · overfishing · catch · fleet · offshore
trophic
Relating to feeding
- upwellingDeep water rising surfaceward
- downwellingFluid sinking from surface
- chlorophyllLight-harvesting plant pigment
photosynthesis · biomass · nutrient-rich · productivity · bloom · gyre · currents · bioluminescence
- ocean lifeocean, sea, sea creatures, shark, sea life
- habitat typesaquatic, terrestrial, arboreal, marine, freshwater
- birding slanglifer, tick, twitch, twitcher, dip
- freshwater sciencefreshwater lakes, lake management, lake depth, water chemistry, dissolved oxygen
- ecologyhabitat, ecosystem, balance, niche, food webs
- fishingfishing rod, fish, angling, bass fishing, fishing gear