SSC
The marine zone along the coast that is affected by tides, longshore currents and breaking waves is called the:
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Answer: Option D — Littoral zone
Detailed Solution
The littoral zone is the part of the sea, lake or river close to the shore. In the sea, it usually refers to the coastal area between the high-tide and low-tide marks (the intertidal zone), along with the nearby shallow waters affected by waves, tides and longshore currents.
Meaning of the word:
"Littoral" comes from the Latin word "litus", meaning shore.
Features of the littoral zone:
- It is alternately covered by water and exposed to air as the tide rises and falls.
- It is affected by strong wave action, currents and changes in temperature and salinity.
- Sediments are constantly moved along the shore by longshore drift, forming features such as beaches, spits and bars.
Life in the littoral zone:
- Organisms must survive exposure to air, waves and changing conditions.
- Common organisms include barnacles, mussels, crabs, sea anemones, starfish, snails and seaweeds.
- Coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass beds, are found in or near this zone.
Ocean zones by distance and depth:
- Littoral (intertidal) zone: along the shore.
- Neritic zone: shallow coastal waters, down to about 200 metres; rich in marine life.
- Oceanic zone: the open ocean beyond the shelf.
Vertical zones of the open ocean:
- Sunlight (epipelagic) zone: down to about 200 metres, where photosynthesis is possible.
- Twilight (mesopelagic) zone: about 200 to 1,000 metres.
- Midnight (bathypelagic) zone: about 1,000 to 4,000 metres.
- Abyssal zone: about 4,000 to 6,000 metres.
- Hadal zone: the deepest parts, in ocean trenches.
Importance of the littoral zone:
- It protects the coast from erosion.
- It supports fisheries, tourism and recreation.
- It is sensitive to pollution, oil spills and coastal development.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The abyssal zone is the deep ocean floor.
- ✗The pelagic zone is the open water column away from the coast and the bottom.
- ✗The benthic zone is the bottom of a water body.
Quick tip
Remember: Littoral zone = shore zone affected by tides and waves (intertidal); neritic = shallow coastal water; abyssal = deep ocean.
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Oceans & Hydrosphere — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Oceans & Hydrosphere, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the hydrosphere: the oceans and seas of the world, ocean relief features such as trenches and ridges, ocean currents, tides, waves, salinity, and the world's major lakes, straits, gulfs and islands. Questions commonly ask about the largest and deepest ocean (the Pacific, with the Mariana Trench), warm and cold ocean currents, the causes of tides, and which water bodies a strait connects. For example, the Palk Strait separates India and Sri Lanka, and the Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Practise the oceans and hydrosphere questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.