The Photic Zone

ocean · sunlight · food chain

Sunlight powers it all. The photic zone is the part of the ocean where sunlight can reach, allowing microscopic plants called phytoplankton to make their own food through photosynthesis, just like plants on land.

Tiny plants feed the ocean. Phytoplankton living in the photic zone are the base of the ocean food chain, producing food and oxygen that almost all sea creatures depend on to survive.

Depth changes with seasons. The photic zone isn't always the same depth. It can be shallower in winter or when the water is murky, and deeper in summer or in clear tropical waters.

Darkness lurks below. Below the photic zone lies the aphotic zone, a region of eternal darkness that covers most of the deep ocean, where strange creatures live without any sunlight.