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abyssal zone |
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abyssal zoneDark ocean region 2,000-6,000 m/6,500-19,500 ft deep; temperature 4°C/39°F. Three-quarters of the area of the deep-ocean floor lies in the abyssal zone, which is too far from the surface for photosynthesis to take place. Some fish and crustaceans living there are blind or have their own light sources. The region above is the bathyal zone; the region below, the hadal zone. |
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In answer to Jim Jones' question, it has been well established
that the main driving force behind the meridional circulation of the
North Atlantic conveyor belt, with ultimate worldwide impacts, is the
descent of cold high-density saline water into the abyssal ocean at high
northern latitudes. This isolated "village"--actually an
ecologically remarkable archipelago with an exotic history that at times
seems straight out of a novel-consists of several clusters of volcanic
islands and one small coral islet, all of which sit atop great peaks
rising from the abyssal gloom of the Pacific's floor. Other chapters find her in the abyssal deeps of the
world-ocean Tethys, tasting the chemistry of the seawater and sifting
through the crystalline intricacies of the one-celled diatoms raining
down to create future cliffs and shoals of limestone. |
abyssal
 |
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