The original idea of this book started when we were making a residual fluxes study of the Paranagua Coastal Lagoon (Brazil) near the colonial town of Guaraque~aba.Among the beautiful mangroves of this Brazilian National Park, between profile and profile, we wondered why South American estuaries were little known in the international arena. Besides, most of the papers published in the literature are based on biological research. Practically nothing is known about their geomorphology and dynamics. That night, while we were walking along the hilly streets of the town, we decided that the only way to have an idea about the degree of advance in the geomorphology and dynamics of our estuaries was to ask the proper South American researchers to write review articles about the estuaries in which they were working or about the gen­ eral state of the art of the Geomorphology and Physical Oceanography of the estuar­ ies of his/her country. The book grew from then on. Although initially many scien­ tists offer to write a chapter, we ran into the same problem these researchers have to publish in journals, they felt that their English was not good enough and withdrew. However, we are very satisfy about the number and quality of the contributions which also passed a very strong review process.

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1 What Do We Know About the Geomorphology and Physical Oceanography of South American Estuaries?.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 World Estuary Distribution.- 1.3 Estuaries of South America.- 1.4 International Publications About South American Estuaries.- 1.5 Conclusions.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 2 The Maracaibo System: A Physical Profile.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Geomorphology.- 2.3 Geological History of the Estuary.- 2.4 Climatology.- 2.4.1 Temperature.- 2.4.2 Wind Regime.- 2.4.3 Precipitation.- 2.4.4 Water Balance.- 2.5 Hydrography.- 2.5.1 Tides.- 2.5.2 Water Levels.- 2.5.3 Currents.- 2.6 Salinity.- 2.6.1 Salinity Patterns.- 2.6.2 Salt Intrusion.- 2.6.3 Salt Balance of the Lake.- 2.7 Chemistry and Fertility of the Water.- 2.7.1 Dissolved Oxygen.- 2.7.2 Nutrients.- 2.8 Conclusions.- References.- 3 Coastal Lagoons of Southeastern Brazil: Physical and Biogeochemical Characteristics.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 Coastal Lagoons in Brazil.- 3.3 Coastal Lagoon Evolution.- 3.4 Tidal Choking.- 3.5 Hydrology and Water Balance.- 3.6 Wind Effects.- 3.7 Salinity and Stratification.- 3.8 Flushing Time.- 3.9 Nutrient Standing Stock and Particulate Organic Matter.- 3.10 Primary Producers.- 3.11 Primary Production.- 3.12 Pelagic and Benthic Metabolism.- 3.13 Nutrient Sources and Primary Production.- 3.14 Trophic State.- 3.15 Human Impact.- 3.16 Management Issues.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 4 Nutrients and Suspended Matter Behaviour in the Patos Lagoon Estuary (Brazil).- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Materials and Methods.- 4.2.1 Data Reduction for Determining Estuarine Behaviour of Nutrients and Total Suspended Matter.- 4.3 Results and Discussions.- 4.3.1 Salinity.- 4.3.2 Dissolved Oxygen.- 4.3.3 Total Suspended Matter.- 4.3.4 Phosphate.- 4.3.5 Nitrate, Nitrite and Ammonium.- 4.3.6 Silicate.- 4.4 Conclusions.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 5 Hydrographical Characteristics of the Estuarine Area of Patos Lagoon.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Main Characteristics of the Area.- 5.3 Data Sampling and Treatment.- 5.3.1 Longitudinal Surveys.- 5.3.2 Time Series Surveys.- 5.4 Results.- 5.4.1 Longitudinal Salinity and Temperature Distribution.- 5.4.2 Temporal Variations of Water Level, Currents and Salinity.- 5.4.3 Estuarine Classification of the Channel Area.- 3.4.4 Longitudinal Salt Transport.- 5.5 Discussion and Conclusions.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 6 The Argentina Estuaries: A Review.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Río de la Plata Estuary.- 6.3 Estuaries of the Buenos Aires Province Between Samborombón Bay and Bahía Blanca.- 6.3.1 Mar Chiquita Coastal Lagoon.- 6.3.2 Quequén Grande Estuary.- 6.3.3 Bahía Blanca Estuary.- 6.4 Estuaries of the Patagonia.- 6.4.1 Colorado River Estuary.- 6.4.2 Negro River Estuary.- 6.4.3 Chubut River Estuary.- 6.5 Estuaries of Southern Patagonia.- 6.5.1 Río Gallegos Estuary.- 6.6 Tierra del Fuego Estuaries.- 6.6.1 San Sebastián Bay.- Summary.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 7 Hydrography and Sediment Transport Characteristics of the Río de la Plata: A Review.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Regional Setting.- 7.2.1 Drainage Basin.- 7.2.2 Tributary River Discharge.- 7.2.3 Meteorology.- 7.3 Hydrographic Characteristics.- 7.3.1 Morphology.- 7.3.2 Surficial Bottom Sediments.- 7.3.3 Tides and Tidal Currents.- 7.3.4 Salinity.- 7.3.5 Suspended Sediments.- 7.4 Synthesis.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 8 Physical Characteristics and Processes of the Río de la Plata Estuary.- 8.1 Introduction.- 8.2 Río de la Plata Environment.- 8.2.1 Physiographic Setting.- 8.2.2 Climatology.- 8.2.3 River Input.- 8.3 Tides and Tidal Currents.- 8.3.1 Tides in the Estuary.- 8.3.2 Tidal Currents.- 8.3.3 Storm Surges.- 8.4 Salinity and Water Stratification.- 8.4.1 Background.- 8.4.2 Seasonal Distribution.- 8.4.3 Vertical Distribution and Stratification.- 8.5 Temperature.- 8.5.1 Seasonal Distribution.- 8.5.2 Sea Surface Temperature.- 8.6 Turbidity Front.- 8.6.1 Mean Distribution.- 8.6.2 Seasonal Distribution.- Summary.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 9 Geomorphological and Physical Characteristics of the Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentina.- 9.1 Introduction.- 9.2 Geological Setting.- 9.3 Geomorphology.- 9.3.1 Geomorphology of the Tidal Channels.- 9.4 Physical Processes.- 9.4.1 Tides.- 9.4.2 Wind Influence.- 9.4.3 Salinity and Temperature.- 9.4.4 Tidal Currents.- 9.4.5 Residual Fluxes.- 9.5 Discussion and Conclusions.- Acknowledgements.- References.- Geographic Index.