Question

Which region of the sea will have maximum productivity?
(a) Coastal
(b) Continental shelf water level
(c) Deep-sea
(d) Very deep sea

Answer 1

Hint: A part of the continent which is submerged under a shallow sea.
The shelf is the area of the seabed around a large mass where the sea is relatively shallow compared with the open ocean. The continental shelf and the continental crust are part of each other geologically.
Generally, it is the most productive part of the ocean. Many benthic, coastal animals have evolved larval stages that swim for a time in the water.

Additional information :
1. The part of a continent which is submerged under the area having relatively low or shallow water is called a continental shelf sea.
2. It is observed that 7.6% of the surface area of the world oceans comprises the continental shelf zones and provide total oceanic primary production to be around 15-30%.
3. A special type of continental shelf ecosystem is the kelp forest. The most productive ecosystems are found to be the kelp forest on the continental shelf.
4. The area where enough light penetrates down the water column, this area is called the photic zone and maybe varies from a few meters to 150 meters deep.
5. All primary productivity occurs in the photic zone, and as a result, 90% of all marine life lives in this upper zone mainly.
So, the correct answer is the ‘Continental shelf water level’.

Note: As the ocean flowed in between the glacial periods, the continental shelves formed forming shallow areas along with the costs over the continents. They are one of the richest parts of the ocean: their nearness to the cost will help in keeping the nutrients input and the nutrients are kept from sinking by their shallow depth.