Abyssal zone

The abyssal zone is the abyssopelagic layer or pelagic zone. "Abyss" derives from the Greek word ἄάβυσσος, meaning bottomless. At depths of 4,000 to 6,000 metres (13,123 to 19,685 feet), this zone remains in perpetual darkness and never receives daylight. These regions are also characterised by continuous cold and lack of nutrients.The abyssal zone has temperatures around 2 °C to 3 °C (35 °F to 37 °F) through the large majority of its mass. It is the deeper part of the midnight zone which starts in the bathypelagic waters above. Its permanent inhabitants (for example, Riftia pachyptila, (the Giant tube worm) found near hydrothermal vents in the pacific ocean and the giant squid are able to withstand the immense pressures of the ocean depths, up to 76 megapascals (11,000 psi).

The area below the abyssal zone is the sparsely inhabited Hadal zone. The zone above is the bathyal zone.

Trenches

The deep trenches or fissures that plunge down thousands of metres below the ocean floor (for example, the midoceanic trenches such as the Mariana Trench in the Pacific) are almost unexplored. Previously, only the bathyscaphe Trieste, the remote control submarine Kaiko and the Nereus have been able to descend to these depths. However, as of March 25, 2012 one vehicle, the Deepsea Challenger was able to penetrate to a depth of 10,898.4 metres (35,756 ft).

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Latest News for: abyssal zone

In Twist, Colum McCann examines what connects us

New Statesman 18 Mar 2025
But we know at the outset that all will not end happily ... If Conway remains unknowable, this is another mirror, of the vast abyssal zone where humans dare to lay the fragile threads that allow us, however briefly, to feel that we are linked ... Twist.

‘Dark oxygen’ — Scientists split over deep-sea discovery

Taipei Times 17 Mar 2025
... Smartex project on July 24, 2023, shows a glass sponge from the Euplectellidae family, photographed during a recent expedition to the northeast Pacific abyss and found in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.

Chinese scientists map out deepest marine ecosystem, reveal life mysteries

Beijing News 09 Mar 2025
The Mariana Trench, at almost 11,000 metres deep, is a perpetually dark and frigid abyss with a pressure of 1,100 atmospheres, once deemed a "no-life zone." On 10th November 2020, Fendouzhe reached the trench and uncovered its rich ecosystem ... .

World’s deepest ocean trench yields 7,000 never-seen-before species

Interesting Engineering 07 Mar 2025
Three new papers published in Cell reveal details of this unexplored realm, providing fresh insight into the genetics and survival strategies of species adapted to the extreme dark, cold, and crushing pressure of the hadal zone.

Earth's strongest ocean current is slowing down due to climate change - and the consequences ...

The Daily Mail 03 Mar 2025
'The ocean is extremely complex and finely balanced ... That cold, dense water sinks quickly into the deepest 'abyssal' zones of the ocean and sweeps northwards, carrying oxygen and CO2 and churning up the nutrient-rich sediments at the ocean floor ... .
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