Use of selective degradation to separate preservation from productivity

The assessment of diagenetic influences on the sedimentary record is problematic despite its crucial importance for accurate environmental reconstruction and understanding of biochemical cycles. We propose a general applicable method that uses differences in degradation rates of organic components to separate degradation and productivity. We demonstrate this method on a southeastern Atlantic sediment core covering the past 145 k.y. The new method solves discrepancies between existing organic matter, silica- and carbonate-based productivity reconstructions, and emphasizes the importance of bottom- and pore-water characteristics for transformation of the sedimentary record.