The meridional gradients of the S-SE Brazilian continental shelf: Introduction to the special volume

This Special Issue is dedicated to the southern and southeastern Brazilian continental shelf. The works comprising the Issue review, substantiate or improve the description of the mechanisms that drive oceanographic processes known to date, and also report new findings. The works support that the strong meridional gradient of physical-chemical characteristics observed in this region is driven by the La Plata River plume at the south and by a marked influence of oceanic water masses in the north. The importance of the annual cycle of the wind field modulating the volumes of the distinct waters masses on the shelf is consolidated. The results gathered by this Special Issue strongly support that the continental shelf area near São Sebastião Island delimits two main oceanographic regimes with contrasting sedimentation rates and distinct primary and secondary production mechanisms. Nonetheless, it became clear that process-oriented studies are imperative for understanding how this region functions.