The modern surface sediment distribution in the German Baltic waters mirrors the integrated effects of hydrodynamics, the initial glacial sediment distribution, and the post-glacial morphological development. Divided into erosional (glacial till outcrops, lag sediments), transitional (“mixed” sandy sediments), and depositional facies (mud basins, e.g., Mecklenburg Bay, Arkona-Basin), most finer-grained sediments are subject to re-suspension and lateral transport due to intense wind driven waves and currents. The observational scale for the significance of sediments in material turnover and service-functions related to transformation processes is the seasonal to annual time scale (addressed in WP2). Longer time scales (multi-decadal to multi-centennial) are relevant for assessing sediment functions related to intermediate storage or final sink of, e.g., nutrients or pollutants. The work package aims to quantify the inventory and mass-accumulation-rates of matter (lithogenics, organic material, biogenic silica, selected organic and inorganic pollutants) that is stored in the sediments of the German Baltic by the comprehensive analyses of dated short-cores.