neritic, a.
(nɪˈrɪtɪk)
[a. G. neritisch (E. Haeckel 1890, in Jenaische Zeitschr. Naturw. XXV. 253), perh. f. Nerita + -ic.]
Of, pertaining to, or inhabiting the region of water bordering coasts, down to a depth of a hundred fathoms.
| 1891 Murray & Renard Rep. Deep-Sea Deposits iv. 251 The organisms living in mid-ocean in the great oceanic currents are quite different from those in the surface waters near land, and Haeckel proposes to designate the former oceanic Plankton, and the latter neritic Plankton. 1909 [see holoplankton (holo-)]. 1913 J. Murray Ocean vii. 136 The neritic area surrounds all continents and islands. 1926 [see bathyal adj.]. 1957 Sci. News XLIII. 71 Certain environments, such as the neritic zone of the ocean, are much more commonly represented in the fossil record than others. 1967 New Scientist 16 Mar. 546/2 Marine fish from the ‘neritic’ zone between the low-water mark and the edge of the continental shelf. 1974 Lucas & Critch Life in Oceans i. 24 The pelagic division is divided into the region inshore of the continental edge, known as the ‘neritic province’, and the remainder, called the ‘oceanic province’. |