Neritic zone

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Biomes
Terrestrial biomes
	Tundra
	Taiga/boreal forests
	Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
	Temperate coniferous forests
	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
	Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
	Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
	Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
	Montane grasslands and shrublands
	Deserts and xeric shrublands
	Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrub
	Mangrove
Aquatic biomes
	Continental shelf
	Littoral/intertidal zone
	Riparian
	Pond
	Coral reef
	Kelp forest
	Pack ice
	Hydrothermal vents
	Cold seeps
	Benthic zone
	Pelagic zone
	Neritic zone
Other biomes
	Endolithic zone

The neritic zone, also called the sublittoral zone^[1], is the part of the ocean extending from the low tide mark to the edge of the continental shelf, with a relatively shallow depth extending to about 200 meters. The neritic zone has generally well-oxygenated water, low water pressure, and relatively stable temperature and salinity levels. These, combined with presence of light and the resulting photosynthetic life, such as phytoplankton and floating sargassum^[2], make the neritic zone the location of the majority of sea life.

Zooplankton, free-floating creatures ranging from microscopic diatoms to small fish and shrimp, live in this zone, and together with phytoplankton form the base of the food pyramid that supports most of the world's great fishing areas.

At the edge of the neritic zone the continental shelves end, rapidly descending to the deeper oceanic crust and the pelagic zone.