In this review certain basic aspects of techniques established for primary productivity studies are presented. Some emphasis has been given to a critical review of techniques mainly devoted to estuarine and coastal phytoplankton of tropical waters. The contents of this paper have been balanced along the lines of current research in marine primary production but only considering the basic methods needed to determine the primary production and standing-stock of phytoplankton. No attempt has been made to include some sophisticated methods, since the particular aim of the present manual is to become a useful guide for beginners in the field.
