The open ocean is an entirely different world to the benthic zone of the sea floor. The endless blue stretches away in all directions, while the black abyss hangs gaping below. Currents are stronger here. There is no shelter to be found, and food is hard to come by. But all the same, a plethora of life has found ways to survive here, from the surface, all the way down into the abyss, utilising some unexpected adaptations to overcome the challenges of life in the open ocean.

We’ll begin our investigation at the surface of the high seas. Of all the zones of the open ocean, here is the most abundant. Whales glide through the waves, pods of dolphins ride the powerful currents, and all manner of pelagic creatures can be found feeding at the surface. The secret to its diversity is sunlight, for here is the photic zone, also called the epipelagic or sunlight zone. Light from above is able to penetrate down to a depth of 200 metres, and within this uppermost layer, phytoplankton is able to undergo photosynthesis to provide food for the life here in the upper water column.

Part 1 | Demersal Deep Sea Life:    • Exploring Life on the Deep Sea Floor  

DEEP SEA HUB: https://naturalworldfacts.com/deep-se...

00:00 - Introduction: The Benthic and Pelagic Zones
01:00 - The Open Ocean Explained
01:37 - Biodiversity in the Pelagic Zone
01:56 - Life in the Photic Zone [0-200m]
02:54 - Adaptations in the Photic Zone
03:37 - The Ocean Sunfish
03:59 - The Marine Pelagic Environment
04:47 - Life in the Mesopelagic Zone [200-1,000m]
05:03 - The Pelagic Nutrient Cycle
05:32 - Adaptations in the Deep Pelagic Zone
05:50 - Why Demersal Life is More Abundant
06:39 - Abyssal Gigantism Explained
07:33 - Adaptations of the Greenland Shark
07:46 - How the Pelagic and Demersal Zones are Connected
08:27 - Advantages of Pelagic Life
09:25 - The Limitations of Pelagic Life
09:41 - Explaining the Colours of Pelagic Creatures
10:08 - Conclusion: The Adaptability of Life
11:18 - The Deep Sea Hub

Footage used belongs to Schmidt Ocean Institute, MBARI, OceanX and the Ocean Exploration Institute.

#deepsea #wildlife #nature #documentary #ocean #marinebiology #science #biology

Music Used:
1812 Overture - Tchaikovsky
Eight Mountains - Savfk
June - Bobby Richards
Down - Joey Pecoraro
The Hunt - Savfk

Resources:
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/p...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelagic...
https://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean/pa...
https://www.britannica.com/science/pe...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/...