The ocean can be divided into zones based on depth and light levels, including the neritic zone in shallow coastal waters, the oceanic zone in deep open waters, and the photic zone where sunlight penetrates which contains the euphotic zone where photosynthesis can occur and the disphotic twilight zone with limited light. Below the photic zone lies the permanently dark aphotic zone which makes up most of the ocean's volume and extends to the sea floor. The ocean also contains vertical pelagic zones such as the Epipelagic, Mesopelagic, Bathypelagic, Abyssopelagic, and Hadal zones based on depth.

1. Zonation in the Ocean

2. The ocean can be divided into zones.

3. neritic zone shallow water over the continental shelf lots of light oceanic zone water over the deep sea light only at the surface

5. ocean light zones photic zone sunlit, upper layers of ocean made up of euphotic and disphotic zones

6. ocean light zones euphotic zone sunlit, upper layers of ocean upper 150 m – depending on where you are phytoplankton can survive and photosynthesize here

7. ocean light zones disphotic zone twilight zone enough light to see, but not enough for photosynthesis extends to a few hundred meters deep

8. ocean light zones aphotic zone permanently dark no sunlight no photosynthesis most of ocean extends to sea floor

9. vertical zonation of the ocean depends on depth

10. The Epipelagic Zone

11. The Mesopelagic Zone

12. The Bathypelagic Zone

13. The Abyssopelagic Zone

14. The Hadal or Hadopelagic Zone