The St. Lawrence Estuary is an environment marked by important freshwater discharge and well stratified water masses, recording large seasonal contrast in surface waters from freezing conditions in winter to temperate conditions in summer due to a very strong seasonal cycle in overlying air temperature. High productivity takes place in the pelagic and benthic environments, where a recent trend toward bottom water hypoxia is observed. The area was profoundly marked by the Quaternary glaciations. Thick glaciomarine sequences dating from the last deglaciation are observed in the Estuary and along the shores, whereas a relatively thin layer (a few meters at most) of hemipelagic mud was deposited during the Holocene.