70 surface sediment samples from the continental shelf and slope of the southern Weddell Sea have been analysed for grain-size distributions, chemical composition, mineral assemblages in the clay fraction, biogenic and terrigenous components in the coarse fraction, and stable isotope ratios in planktonic foraminifera. New information is presented on modern sedimentary processes and their dependence on the present-day physiographical, glaciological and hydrographical setting. Regional differences in both the biogenic production and the preservation of biogenic components are controlled by the physical and chemical properties of the water masses rather than by differences in the sea-ice coverage or in water depth. The terrigenous sediment supply to the ocean is dominated by ice-rafted debris. The debris from different source areas is characterized by individual petrological and textural compositions. After the release of this debris into the water column, marine currents cause differential lateral transport of grain-size fractions. -Authors