User talk:Alexjordangriffith/Aphotic zone

External Review
Hello Alexjordangriffith - My name is Jolie, and I'm the Project Coordinator for the WikiProject Limnology & Oceanography team. Your external review for your article on the aphotic zone has been posted below. If you have any questions about your review, or would like to clarify anything, please feel free to get in touch with me by leaving a message on my talk page. Thanks, and all the best as you wrap up your Wikipedia editing assignment!

EXTERNAL REVIEW - I'm a limnologist, and I work on large rivers, deltas, lakes, and coastal zones in the Canadian Arctic. I'm particularly interested in how the physical and chemical characteristics of these ecosystems change among seasons - for example, when ice cover melts or during the sunny summer season.

You've done a really good job adding information to the Wikipedia page on the aphotic zone! Below I'll list a few comments and suggestions that you might want to consider before your page goes live online. As I went through your page, I assumed that your edits are in bold text - although I've also made note of some other small corrections that could be made.

Lead
 * I think it would be helpful to mention how changeable the depth of the aphotic zone is somewhere in the lead. There's more detail on this later in the article, but since many people don't read past the lead it would be good to mention this fact here too.

The Dark Ocean
 * "The majority of the ocean is aphotic, with the average depth of the sea being 4267 m deep with the deepest part of the sea, being the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, is about 11,000 m deep." Add a reference and in-line citation to this statement of fact.
 * "If the water is turbid, suspended material can block light from penetrating resulting in a shallower aphotic zone." Suspended material would block light at a shallower depth, which would make the aphotic zone deeper overall. I think this statement needs to be clarified - either the top of the aphotic zone is shallower, or the aphotic zone itself is deeper.
 * Add in-line links to other Wikipedia articles on the Mariana Trench, mesopelagic zone, the bathyal zone, the abyssal zone, and the hadal zone.

Life in the Aphotic Zone
 * Link to the Wikipedia articles on phytoplankton, primary production, angler fish, and bioluminescence.
 * "In some rare cases, bacteria use chemical energy sources such as sulfides and methane" Provide a reference and in-line citation for this statement of fact.
 * "For example, the sperm whale and the southern elephant seal occasionally hunt in the aphotic zone despite the water pressure squashing their bodies; however, not fatally." Add a reference and in-line citation for this statement. Also, the last part of the sentence should be written in a more neutral tone, for example "despite the water pressure exerting a high pressure force on their bodies."

Aphotic Zone Migration
 * "After sunset, millions of organisms swarm up from the depths to feed on the microorganisms peacefully floating in the warm epipelagic zone." Provide a reference and citation, and also remove the word "peacefully".
 * "Many copepods( a group of small crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae come up to shallower waters to eat the phytoplankton" The description of copepods isn't necessary, since a link is provided to the Wikipedia page.
 * "This nightly vertical migration is the largest (in terms of the number of animals) on our planet." This is a very interesting fact to include! Provide a reference and in-line citation to back up this statement.

Again, nice work on this article! I enjoyed reviewing it, and you’ve made a number of really nice contributions and improvements. Best wishes as you finish up the rest of your Wikipedia assignment, and I look forward to reading the final version of your page.

JoGDelta (talk) 18:23, 19 April 2021 (UTC)