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Glite Dictionary
🌊 Ocean middle layer 🌊 Middle ocean layer
mesopelagic

mesopelagic

1 9.9
The middle ocean layer 200 to 1000 meters deep or the animals like fish that live there
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛzoʊˈpɛlədʒɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mesopelágico
  • Everything under the mesopelagic is night.

Examples

  • Scientists often study the mesopelagic layer to understand its role in ocean ecosystems.

  • The mesopelagic zone is home to many unique species adapted to low light.

  • However, the co-occurrence of mesopelagic, demersal, and coastal larvae (i.e., mixed assemblage) was detected in many of the investigated stations.

    Academic text (2018)

  • In the mesopelagic region, creatures like lanternfish can be found swimming in the darkness.

Surface Forms

mesopelagic singular
mesopelagics plural

Morphology

mesopelagic = pelagic (transparent) = meso + pelag + ic

The word clearly combines meso- 'middle' with pelagic 'of the open sea', yielding 'middle open-ocean layer'.

Etymology

Mesopelagic comes from meso- 'middle' and pelagic 'open sea'. It names the middle layer of the ocean (about 200 to 1000 meters deep) and the animals that live there, a dim 'twilight zone' with little light.