Review of Estuaries of South America: Their geomorphology and dynamics edited by G. M. Perillo, M. Cintia-Piccolo, and M. Pino-Quivira

Abstract

This is an ambitiously titled book, with the worthy editorial aims of providing reviews of the geomorphological and dynamical aspects of South American estuaries as a means of compensating for a perceived emphasis thus far on the biological characteristics of these flows. In fact, as the authors admit, a comprehensive overview of the many estuaries and estuary types that are found in the continent is not achieved, not least because of the difficulties in obtaining contributions in English from researchers working with some of the important South American estuaries. Accordingly, the reader will not find comprehensive coverage of the many and varied types of South American estuaries and their relationships to the particular and very different tectonic, latitudinal, and climatic zones that characterize the continent. For example, the book contains no contributions on Pacific coast estuaries ~nothing on Chile, for example! and there is an emphasis on estuaries in Argentina and Brazil that reflect the interests of the collection of expert authors that has been assembled. The book contains reviews of specific estuaries that differ enormously in scale and behavior, from the Maracaibo system to the Rio de la Plata and the coastal lagoons that are found along the Brazilian coast. Although the introductory chapter of the book provides a useful classification of estuary types that has significance for all estuaries, much of the content of the book is sitespecific. Thus, there is no real attempt to use the information from