of, relating to, or inhabiting the upper zone of the ocean from just below the surface to approximately 100 metres deep
epipelagic in American English
(ˌepipəˈlædʒɪk)
adjective
of or pertaining to the stratum of the oceanic zone where enough light is present for photosynthesis to occur
Word origin
[1935–40; epi- + pelagic]This word is first recorded in the period 1935–40. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Arts and Crafts Movement, Rhodesian ridgeback, aeroembolism, complementation, prime moverepi- is a prefix occurring in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “upon,” “on,” “over,”“near,” “at,” “before,” “after” (epicedium; epidermis; epigene; epitome). On this model, epi- is used in the formation of new compound words (epicardium; epinephrine)
Examples of 'epipelagic' in a sentence
epipelagic
Larvae were classified according the adult habitat as reef, epipelagic or mesopelagic.
Luana Stocco, Jean-Christophe Joyeux 2015, 'Distribution of fish larvae on the Vitória-Trindade Chain, southwestern Atlantic',Check Listhttps://checklist.pensoft.net/article/19188/download/pdf/. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Scat analysis revealed intra-population variation in their diet, represented by prey from different environments (epipelagic and benthic).
Diego Páez-Rosas, Stella Villegas-Amtmann, Daniel Costa 2017, 'Intraspecific variation in feeding strategies of Galapagos sea lions: A case of trophicspecialization.', PLoS ONEhttp://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5653192?pdf=render. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
The concentrations of nutrients reflected dominant oligotrophic conditions in the epipelagic zone and occasional mesotrophic status at some depths.
M.M. DORGHAM, M.M. EL-SHERBINY, M.H. HANAFI 2012, 'Environmental properties of the southern Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, Egypt', Mediterranean Marine Sciencehttps://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/hcmr-med-mar-sc/article/view/12269. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
However, peculiar bacterial assemblages were selected along a longitudinal transect in the epipelagic layers of the eastern and western sub-basins.
F. Mapelli, M. M. Varela, M. Barbato, R. Alvariño, M. Fusi, M. Álvarez, G. Merlino,D. Daffonchio, S. Borin 2013, 'Biogeography of planktonic bacterial communities across the whole Mediterranean Sea',Ocean Science (OS)http://www.ocean-sci.net/9/585/2013/os-9-585-2013.pdf. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)