Definition: A steep-sided valley on the sea floor of the continental slope. Many submarine canyons are found as extensions to large rivers; however there are many that have no such association. Canyons cutting the continental slopes have been found at depths greater than 2 km below sea level. Many submarine canyons continue as submarine channels across continental rise areas and may extend for hundreds of kilometers.
Definition: An aquatic biome that comprises systems of open-ocean and unprotected coastal habitats, characterized by exposure to wave action, tidal fluctuation, and ocean currents as well as systems that largely resemble these. Water in the marine biome is generally within the salinity range of seawater: 30 to 38 ppt.
Definition: The bathypelagic zone biome comprises the marine water column below approximately 1000 m water depth - the maximum depth to which detectable daylight penetrates in all but the clearest oligotrophic waters - and extends to about 2500 - 2700 m water depth. In the temperate Atlantic, the beginning of the bathypelagic zone biome approximates to the deep oxygen minimum and the base of the permanent thermocline.
