Deep-sea marvels - A strange Jelly

#deepsea #jellyfish #ocean #exploration #expedition

Regions below the epipelagic are divided into further zones, beginning with the bathyal zone (also considered the continental slope) which spans from 200 to 3000 meters (650 to 10,000 ft) below sea level and is essentially transitional, containing elements from both the shelf above and the abyss below. Below this zone, the deep sea consists of the abyssal zone (ocean depth between 3-6 km, 1.8-3.6 mi)[14] and the hadal zone (6-11 km, 3.6-7 mi). Food consists of falling organic matter known as 'marine snow' and carcasses derived from the productive zone above, and is scarce both in terms of spatial and temporal distribution.

Instead of relying on gas for their buoyancy, many deep-sea species have jelly-like flesh consisting mostly of glycosaminoglycans, which provides them with very low density. It is also common among deep water squid to combine the gelatinous tissue with a flotation chamber filled with a coelomic fluid made up of the metabolic waste product ammonium chloride, which is lighter than the surrounding water.

Source: NOAA