depth, while the other half (about 780,000 km
2 ) ranges from depths of 400 to
3,000 m (IBAMA 2008). Along its 8,698 km of shoreline, including all
geographic features like indentations (e.g. bays) and capes, it comprises tropical
and subtropical environments (IBAMA 2008).
Brazilian’s continental shelf is variable in extension. It is larger in the north,
ranging from 148 km at the coast of Amapá State to 293.3 km at the mouth of the
Amazon River. It narrows in the northeastern region, ranging from 37 to 55 km.
From the southeast to the south it expands gradually to 185 km (IBAMA 2008). The
Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone has about 4.2 9 10
6 km
2 which includes different estuarine and marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, rocky shores, coral
reefs, sandy and muddy bottoms in shallow water and deep sea environments. Rocky
and calcareous bottoms are common along the northeastern coast while sandy and
muddy bottoms prevail along the southeastern and southern coasts (IBAMA 2008).
Two main marine currents flow on the continental margins of Brazil: the North
Brazil Current (NBC) and the Brazil Current (BC) (Stramma 1991; Silveira et al.
2000). Both currents are formed at 10
o S and are associated with the western border
of the South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre (SASG) as two branches of the South
Atlantic Equatorial Current (SAEC) (Silveira et al. 2000). The NBC flows
northwards while the BC flows southwards along the continental margin up to the
Argentine Basin (33° to 38°S), where it meets the Malvinas Current (BrazilMalvinas Confluence) (Gordon 1988; Silveira et al. 2000). Therefore, the BC
prevails on the Brazilian coast.
The first 3 km of the water column of the BC is formed by five water masses:
the Tropical Water (TW), the South Atlantic Central Water (SACW), the Antarctic
V. F. Hadel
Centro de Biologia Marinha, Universidade de São Paulo,
São Sebastião-SP, 11600-000, Brazil
e-mail: vafhadel@usp.br
Cynthia L. C. Manso
Laboratório de Invertebrados Marinhos, Universidade Federal de Sergipe,
Itabaiana-SE, 49500-00, Brazil
e-mail: cynthia@phoenix.org.br
J. R. M. C. Silva
Departamento de Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento,
Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo-SP,
05508-99, Brazil
e-mail: jrmcs@usp.br
Y. Tavares
Faculdade de Ciências, Filosofia e Letras de Paranaguá,
Universidade Estadual do Paraná, Pontal do Paraná-PR, 83203-280, Brazil
e-mail: ytavares@ufpr.br
C. G. Tiago
Centro de Biologia Marinha, Universidade de São Paulo,
São Sebastião-SP, 11600-000, Brazil
e-mail: clgtiago@usp.br
302
C. R. R. Ventura et al.
2 ) ranges from depths of 400 to
3,000 m (IBAMA 2008). Along its 8,698 km of shoreline, including all
geographic features like indentations (e.g. bays) and capes, it comprises tropical
and subtropical environments (IBAMA 2008).
Brazilian’s continental shelf is variable in extension. It is larger in the north,
ranging from 148 km at the coast of Amapá State to 293.3 km at the mouth of the
Amazon River. It narrows in the northeastern region, ranging from 37 to 55 km.
From the southeast to the south it expands gradually to 185 km (IBAMA 2008). The
Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone has about 4.2 9 10
6 km
2 which includes different estuarine and marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, rocky shores, coral
reefs, sandy and muddy bottoms in shallow water and deep sea environments. Rocky
and calcareous bottoms are common along the northeastern coast while sandy and
muddy bottoms prevail along the southeastern and southern coasts (IBAMA 2008).
Two main marine currents flow on the continental margins of Brazil: the North
Brazil Current (NBC) and the Brazil Current (BC) (Stramma 1991; Silveira et al.
2000). Both currents are formed at 10
o S and are associated with the western border
of the South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre (SASG) as two branches of the South
Atlantic Equatorial Current (SAEC) (Silveira et al. 2000). The NBC flows
northwards while the BC flows southwards along the continental margin up to the
Argentine Basin (33° to 38°S), where it meets the Malvinas Current (BrazilMalvinas Confluence) (Gordon 1988; Silveira et al. 2000). Therefore, the BC
prevails on the Brazilian coast.
The first 3 km of the water column of the BC is formed by five water masses:
the Tropical Water (TW), the South Atlantic Central Water (SACW), the Antarctic
V. F. Hadel
Centro de Biologia Marinha, Universidade de São Paulo,
São Sebastião-SP, 11600-000, Brazil
e-mail: vafhadel@usp.br
Cynthia L. C. Manso
Laboratório de Invertebrados Marinhos, Universidade Federal de Sergipe,
Itabaiana-SE, 49500-00, Brazil
e-mail: cynthia@phoenix.org.br
J. R. M. C. Silva
Departamento de Biologia Celular e do Desenvolvimento,
Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo-SP,
05508-99, Brazil
e-mail: jrmcs@usp.br
Y. Tavares
Faculdade de Ciências, Filosofia e Letras de Paranaguá,
Universidade Estadual do Paraná, Pontal do Paraná-PR, 83203-280, Brazil
e-mail: ytavares@ufpr.br
C. G. Tiago
Centro de Biologia Marinha, Universidade de São Paulo,
São Sebastião-SP, 11600-000, Brazil
e-mail: clgtiago@usp.br
302
C. R. R. Ventura et al.