Little or no light penetrates this part of the ocean and most of the organisms that live there rely for subsistence on falling organic matter produced in the photic zone for this reason scientists once assumed that life would be sparse.
Dark deep ocean floor.
Deep sea creatures photos adaptation is the name of the game when you live thousands of feet below the water s surface.
Sunlight does not penetrate to the sea floor making these deep dark ecosystems less productive than those along the continental shelf.
At depths of over 10 000 feet and covering 70 of the ocean floor abyssal plains are the largest habitat on earth.
Scientific research submersibles have explored the ocean s deepest trenches but most are designed to reach only the ocean floor.
The deep ocean is dark very cold and has tremendous pressure from the overlying water.
Scientists are flocking to florida s gulf coast for a glimpse of a mysterious 425 feet deep blue hole on the ocean floor.
Deep sea exploration has revealed varied landscapes which include volcanoes seamounts hydrothermal vents and cold seeps.
Scuba divers can explore only to about 40 meters while most submarines dive only to about 500 meters.
Although some sea creatures depend on light to live others can do without it.
Sunlight entering the water may travel about 1 000 meters 3 280 feet into the ocean under the right conditions but there is rarely any significant light beyond 200 meters 656 feet.
In fact there have been more missions into space than journeys down to the greatest depths of the oceans.
But despite their name these plains are not uniformly flat.
The glowing mystery hole about 155 feet below the water s surface.
See how these deep sea denizens make the most of their deep dark home.