The neritic zone is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, extending to a depth of about 200 meters. Sunlight reaches the ocean floor throughout the zone, keeping it within the photic zone where photosynthesis can occur, and its abundant light, well-oxygenated water and stable temperature and salinity make it exceptionally productive. These conditions let the neritic zone support the majority of the world's marine life and commercial fisheries through high primary production and complex food webs.
Facts
Climate
Typical Low Temperature (C)Same reasoning as the neritic zone high figure: shallow shelf water shares the polar surface freezing point already used for Open Ocean and Marine. Typical High Temperature (C)The neritic zone is the shallow, surface-connected water over the continental shelf, so it shares the same tropical surface temperature extreme as the Open Ocean and Marine biomes on the same source. Disputed
Annual Precipitation (mm)Same global land+ocean blended figure and caveat used for Open Ocean and Marine; the neritic zone has no isolated shelf-water precipitation figure on an accessible source. Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. How Does the Temperature of Ocean Water Vary? (NOAA Ocean Exploration)
NOAA Ocean ExplorationNOAA Ocean Exploration, How Does the Temperature of Ocean Water Vary?, by-location sectionQuote, NOAA Ocean Exploration, How Does the Temperature of Ocean Water Vary?, by-location section
These variations in solar energy mean that the ocean surface can vary in temperature from a warm 30C (86F) in the tropics to a very cold -2C (28F) near the poles.
2. Precipitation (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia, Precipitation, lead sectionQuote, Wikipedia, Precipitation, lead section
the globally averaged annual precipitation is 990 millimetres (39 in), but over land it is only 715 millimetres (28.1 in)
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