Final answer:
The abiotic element found in a marine ecosystem is water, which is a non-living component crucial for shaping the environment and supporting marine life. Water's characteristics, such as temperature, salinity, and movement, are critical abiotic factors that affect living organisms within marine biomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The abiotic element found in a marine ecosystem is d. Water. Abiotic factors are the non-living components of an ecosystem that shape its environment and include elements such as sunlight, temperature, movement, and salt content. These factors are essential for the survival and growth of biotic elements, the living organisms within an ecosystem. In a marine biome, water encompasses not just the liquid itself but also its physical characteristics like temperature, salinity or salt concentration, and currents, all of which play vital roles in sustaining the diverse life forms found in these habitats.
Other abiotic factors are present like wind and soil, but they do not have as large an impact as water in a marine ecosystem. Marine zones, such as the intertidal zone, are based on depth, distance from the shore, and light levels, thus influencing where certain species live. Coral reefs, for example, are typically found in shallow ocean water where there is ample light for photosynthesis.