a·bys·so·pe·lag·ic

(ə-bĭs′ə-pə-lăj′ĭk)

adj.

Relating to or inhabiting the layer of the water column of the open ocean that lies between the bathypelagic and hadopelagic layers at depths of about 4,000 to 6,000 meters (13,120 to 19,680 feet).

[abyss(al) + pelagic.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

abyssopelagic

(əˌbɪsəʊpɛˈlædʒɪk)

adj

(Physical Geography) referring to or occurring in the region of deep water above the floor of the ocean

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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References in periodicals archive

The Abyssopelagic Zone -- also known as The Abyss (for obvious reasons) -- stretches from a depth of 4000 to 6000 meters, where it meets the ocean basin and Continental Rise.

Down to the Mariana Trench: 11 facts about our mysterious oceans and marine life

(4) ABYSSOPELAGIC ZONE: Abyss comes from the Greek word meaning "bottomless." Due to crushing water pressure, most residents--like this sea spider--lack a backbone.

Aliens of the deep: meet the most peculiar creatures that call Earth home

The lower zones of the mesopelagic zone are harder to define, although by analogy with the benthic zones they have been called bathypelagic (between 3,281 and 13,123 ft [1,000 and 4,000 m]), abyssopelagic (between 13,123 and 19,685 ft [4,000 and 6,000 m]) and hadopelagic (between 19,685 and 36,089 ft [6,000 and 11,000 m]).

3 Life on the ocean bottom

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