pelagic
of or relating to the open seas or oceans.
living or growing at or near the surface of the ocean, far from land, as certain organisms.
Origin of pelagic
1Other words from pelagic
- non·pe·lag·ic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for pelagic
/ (pɛˈlædʒɪk) /
of or relating to the open sea: pelagic whaling
(of marine life) living or occurring in the upper waters of open sea
(of geological formations) derived from material that has fallen to the bottom from the upper waters of the sea
Origin of pelagic
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for pelagic
[ pə-lăj′ĭk ]
Relating to or living in or on oceanic waters. The pelagic zone of the ocean begins at the low tide mark and includes the entire oceanic water column. The pelagic ecosystem is largely dependent on the phytoplankton inhabiting the upper, sunlit regions, where most ocean organisms live. Biodiversity decreases sharply in the unlit zones where water pressure is high, temperatures are cold, and food sources scarce. Pelagic waters are divided, in descending order, into the epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssopelagic, and hadopelagic zones.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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