Marine sediment

Marine sediment is loose mineral particles, organic material, and other matter that accumulates on the seafloor or other submerged marine surfaces. Its composition and layering record transport, biological activity, and changing ocean conditions.

Sediment grain size: A classification of sediment particles by their diameter, from clay-sized particles to boulders. Particle size helps distinguish fine deep-sea deposits from coarse deposits near shore.
Sediment transport: The movement of solid particles by fluids, gravity, ice, or organisms. Currents, rivers, and gravity carry particles toward and across the seafloor.
Paleoclimatology: The study of climates and climate changes before modern instrumental records. Marine sediment cores preserve proxies for ancient ocean and climate conditions.
Calcareous ooze: A fine-grained pelagic sediment containing abundant calcium carbonate shells and skeletal fragments. Its distribution reflects carbonate production and dissolution in the water column and seabed.
Marine benthic zone: The ecological region at and near the bottom of a marine body of water. Sediment forms the substrate and habitat for organisms living on or within the seafloor.
Terrigenous sediment: Sediment derived from the weathering and erosion of land. Rivers, wind, and glaciers deliver this land-derived material to the ocean.
Turbidity current: A sediment-laden density current that flows downslope beneath water. These underwater flows can rapidly deposit thick layers in deep basins.
Sediment core: A cylindrical sample collected from layered sediment, commonly used to study its history. Cores provide an ordered sequence of deposits for dating and analysis.
Siliceous ooze: A pelagic sediment rich in silica-based remains of organisms such as diatoms and radiolarians. Its accumulation marks regions of high siliceous plankton production or preservation.
Carbon burial: The long-term preservation of carbon in sediments and sedimentary rocks. Burial of organic matter transfers carbon out of active ocean and atmospheric cycles.

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