adjective
- relating to or living in the open ocean, away from the shore and sea bottom
Usage: marine biology; oceanography
Examples
- Pelagic fish like tuna spend their entire lives in the open ocean.
- The research vessel studied pelagic ecosystems far from any coastline.
- Whales are among the largest pelagic animals in the world.
- Pelagic birds such as albatrosses rarely come to shore except to breed.
- The pelagic zone contains most of the ocean’s water volume.
- Scientists collected samples of pelagic plankton during the expedition.