The abyssal zone is the
pelagic zone that contains the very deep
benthic communities near the bottom of
oceans. Abyss is from the
Greek word meaning bottomless sea. At depths of 4,000 to 6,000 meters (13,123 to 19,685 feet), this zone remains in perpetual darkness and never receives daylight. Its permanent inhabitants – for example, the
Black swallower,
tripod fish, deep-sea
anglerfish, and the giant squid – are able to withstand the immense pressures of the ocean depths, up to 775
kilograms per square centimeter (76
megapascals or 4.92
long tons force per square inch). Many abyssal creatures have underslung jaws to sift through the sand to catch food. The deep trenches or fissures that plunge down thousands of feet below the ocean floor – for example, the midoceanic trenches such as the
Mariana Trench in the
Pacific – are almost unexplored. Only the
bathyscaph Trieste has been able to descend to these depths. These regions are also characterized by continuous cold and lack of nutrients. The abyssal zone has temperatures around 2 to 3 degrees Celsius.
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