pelago-, pelag-

1. Relating to the region of deep water which excludes the ocean floor, floating in the ocean depths and living in the oceanic water column at depths of between 4,000 and 6,000 meters (13,120 feet to 19,680 feet), and seaward of the shelf-slope break: The marine biologists used specialized mechanical diving equipment to explore the abyssopelagic depths of the sea.
2. Of or relating to organisms or phenomena in midwater, but still at great depths: At the abyssopelagic deepness of the sea, many of the creatures are blind.

A reference to marine organisms occurring, or living, at various ocean depths: Allopelagic creatures in the pelagic zones move around looking for food or wanting to reproduce at various stages of development, or as a result of influences other than temperature or light.

Indo-Australian Archipelago: Archipel Indo-Australien is the combined region formed by the Malay Peninsula, northern Australia, and the numerous islands of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Melanesia.

1. Any sea, or sheet of water, in which there are numerous islands: In her science book, Jill read about the many scattered islands in an ocean termed as archipelagoes.
2. A large group of islands: An example of a cluster of the many land masses smaller than a continent and surrounded by water is the Philippine archipelago.
3. A sea containing a large number of scattered islands; island group; island chain: One intriguing archipelago at the southern point of the Red Sea can be read about in Martin's textbook.

The Aegean Islands, the Bahamas, the Hawaiian Islands, and the Maldives are all typically archipelago, or collections of islands.

Referring to planktonic organisms living continually at the sea surface; epipelagic: Autopelagic creatures exist down to about 200 meters in the ocean, which is the upper stratum of the oceanic zone where there is enough light present for photosynthesis to occur.

1. Pertaining to the biogeographic realm of the ocean, or living in the depths of the ocean: The bathypelagic realm of the large open water areas of the world lies between the mesopalagic and the abyssopelagic layers at a deepness of roughly 1,000 to 4,000 meters (3,280 to 13,120 feet).
2. A reference to organisms living in the steep descent of the ocean bed from the abyssal zone to the continental shelf: Jack read about a scavenger that fed on the dead whales and squid in the midnight zone, or bathypelagic zone, of the sea where light does not penetrate.

A layer of the oceanic zone lying below the "mesopelagic" zone and above the "abyssopelagic" zone, at depths generally between 1,000 and 4,000 meters (3,280 to 13,120 feet): The bathypelagic zone receives no sunlight and water pressure is considerable. The abundance and diversity of marine life decreases with depth through the bathypelagic zone and the lower zones.

Descriptive of the species that live in the deepest levels, or areas, of oceans, seas, lakes, etc.: There are certain kinds of fish that feed on the bottom of water areas, including demersal fish, benthic fish, ground fish, and benthopelagic fish.

A reference to marine organisms living at great depths throughout most of the year, however during the winter they move to the surface: Certain deep-sea organisms, such as the pteropods, heteropods, and Radiolana, are chimopelagic and inhabit the upper layer only during the cold months.

Chimopelagic creatures also refer to certain bathypelagic (biogeographic region of the the ocean bottom) organisms that appear at the surface of the ocean only in the winter.

Relating to the upper zone of the ocean: The epipelagic stratum of the sea extends from the surface to a depth of about 200 meters (656 feet).

The epipelagic layer of the sea is also the part into which enough sunlight enters for photosynthesis to take place.

Pertaining to organisms in open ocean water away from the sea bed; pelagic: In his class at school, Bruce was amazed at the kinds of eupelagic fish in the seas around the world.

The bottom-most layer of the oceanic zone, lying below the abyssopelagic zone at depths greater than about 6,000 meters (19,680 feet); hadal zone: The hadopelagic zone is found in long and narrow topographic V-formed depressions or trenches in the sea. The name is derived from Hades, the classical Greek underworld. This particular layer is 90% unknown and very few species are known to live in the open areas, however many organisms exist in hydrothermal vents in this and other stratums.

Pertaining to organisms of the salty sea: The halopelagic life cycle of some of the deep-sea creatures in the ocean was very interesting for the students in Prof. Brown's seminar.

An organism that remains in the ocean throughout its life cycle: One kind of algae, a holopelagic sargassum species, exists and drifts around in the Sargasso Sea and reproduces on the open seas, but not on the sea floor.

Concerning living things that are only short-term members of the pelagic groups: The larval stages of certain benthic marine organisms are considered to be meropelagic due to being only temporary members of the marine community.