The term benthic refers to anything associated with or occuring on the bottom of a body of water. The animals and plants that live on or in the bottom are known as the benthos. Benthic habitats can best be defined as bottom environments with distinct physical, geochemical, and biological characteristics. Benthic habitats vary widely depending upon their location and depth, and they are often characterized by dominant structural features and biological communities.
Marine benthic habitats are divided into zones based upon how deep they are in the water. From deepest to shallowest these include: the hadal zone (over 6,000 meters deep), the abyssal zone (2,000 to 6,000 meters), the bathyal zone (200 to 2,000 meters), and the nearshore and estuarine zones (less than 200 meters). Because the hadal, abyssal, and bathyal zones all occur in relatively deep ocean waters, benthic habitats in these zones have been much less commonly observed and mapped.
Estuarine and nearshore benthic habitats can be highly diverse, including shallow submerged mudflats, rippled sandflats, rocky hard-bottom habitats, seagrass beds, kelp forests, shellfish beds, and coral reefs. Source: NOAA
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