A Poisoned Chalice?

Deep-sea sediments often carry information about past temperatures in the upper ocean directly above their location. But as McCave cautions in this Perspective, interpretation of the sediments can be complicated by deep-sea processes. For example, material transported laterally in the deep ocean may distort the upper-ocean signal in the sediments. A report by Ohkouchi illustrates such processes at Bermuda Rise. The study yields a detailed understanding of deep-sea sediment transport processes, aiding the interpretation of sediment records at this site and sounding a warning for others.