9530155 Nagy The main objective of this proposal is the planning for the development of a regional research program to improve our understanding of the Rio de la Plata System and Patos-Mirim Complex. This program will be focused on the inputs and fluxes in these systems, and on the influences of their outflow on the productivity and salt budget of adjacent shelf waters. The research program will also involve the design of an integrated system to monitor hydrological, meteorological and oceanic variables, as well as a framework to archive and disseminate data in a timely manner to scientists in the region and elsewhere. Finally, the research program will involve the development, adaptation and validation of various models that would provide not only insight on the systems, but also a forecasting capability useful for resource management or policy making. The basis of this proposal is an integrated approach, that takes into account the physical relationships between the hydrology and climatology in this region for the assessment of its response to the variability of fluxes at different time and space scales. To accomplish this, three principal themes have been identified that will constitute the axes of discussion: modeling, monitoring, and process studies. The scientific objectives will be related with one or more of these topics. The planning process involved in this proposal will include a survey of ongoing research activities, plans, interests, and capabilities in the region, so that activities can be coordinated, and overlapping or redundant efforts avoided. In this effort, this proposal will benefit from ongoing IAI activities. This proposal will involve three workshop to facilitate the participation by a wide spectrum of regional scientists in the preparation of an IAI Phase II proposal. This project proposes the planning of an interdisciplinary and integrated research program, focused on the study of fluxes of the Rio de la Plata system and the Patos-Mirim Complex, a nd their influence on the hydrodynamics and biological processes of the adjacent shelf waters. The scientific and technical support, the specific objectives and the appropriate methodologies will be discussed in the context of an integrated approach comprising the efforts of the countries involved: Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina. Extra-regional partners from the United States also participate in this planning effort. At the end of the one-year period, an IAI Phase II proposal will be completed. This proposal assembles a diverse team of investigators from both academic and governmental institutions in Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. These countries are Member States of the IAI, an initiative to stimulate cooperative research on global change issues among the scientific institutions of the Americas. The National Science Foundation is the designated U.S. Government agency to carry out the U.S. responsibilities within the IAI. ***
