Relational adjectives.

Question

Is "deep-ocean" a relational adjective in this context "deep-ocean researcher"?

Answer 1

Yes, in this context "deep-ocean" would be considered a relational adjective. Relational adjectives describe the relationship between two nouns. Using your question as a reference, "deep-ocean researcher" uses a relational adjective to describe the type of researcher and their area of expertise.

Answer 2

It classifies the type of noun it follows.