Ocean habitats
	Littoral zone
	Intertidal zone
	Neritic zone
	Continental shelf
	Kelp forests
	Coral reefs
	Fishing banks
	Continental margin
	Pelagic zone
	Straits
	Seamounts
	Hydrothermal vents
	Cold seeps
	Demersal zone
	Benthic zone
Aquatic ecosystems
Aquatic layers
Wild fisheries
Land habitats

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 (100 fathoms). 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 foraminiferans to small fish and shrimp, live in this zone, and together with the 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.

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