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Deep-sea subsurface sediments are the most important archives of marine biodiversity. Until now, these archives were studied mainly using the microfossil record, disregarding large amounts of DNA accumulated on the deep-sea floor. Accessing ancient DNA (aDNA) molecules preserved down-core would offer unique insights into the history of marine biodiversity, including both fossilized and non-fossilized taxa. Here, we recover aDNA of eukaryotic origin across four cores collected at abyssal depths in the South Atlantic, in up to 32.5 thousand-year-old sediment layers. Our study focuses on Foraminifera and Radiolaria, two major groups of marine microfossils also comprising diverse non-fossilized taxa. We describe their assemblages in down-core sediment layers applying both micropalaeontological and environmental DNA sequencing approaches. Short fragments of the foraminiferal and radiolarian small subunit rRNA gene recovered from sedimentary DNA extracts provide evidence that eukaryotic aDNA is preserved in deep-sea sediments encompassing the last glacial maximum. Most aDNA were assigned to non-fossilized taxa that also dominate in molecular studies of modern environments. Our study reveals the potential of aDNA to better document the evolution of past marine ecosystems and opens new horizons for the development of deep-sea palaeogenomics.

The Indian Ocean tsunami flooded the coastal zone of the Andaman Sea and left tsunami deposits with a thickness of a few millimetres to tens of centimetres over a roughly one-kilometre-wide tsunami inundation zone. The preservation potential and the post-depositional changes of the onshore tsunami deposits in the coastal plain setting, under conditions of a tropical climate with high seasonal rainfall, were assessed by reinvestigating trenches located along 13 shore-perpendicular transects; the trenches were documented shortly after the tsunami and after 1, 2, 3 and 4 years. The tsunami deposits were found preserved after 4 years at only half of the studied sites. In about 30% of the sites, the tsunami deposits were not preserved due to human activity; in a further 20% of the sites, the thin tsunami deposits were eroded or not recognised due to new soil formation. The most significant changes took place during the first rainy season when the relief of the tsunami deposits was levelled; moderate sediment redeposition took place, and fine surface sediments were washed away, which frequently left a residual layer of coarse sand and gravel. The fast recovery of new plant cover stabilised the tsunami deposits and protected them against further remobilisation during the subsequent years. After five rainy seasons, tsunami deposits with a thickness of at least a few centimetres were relatively well preserved; however, their internal structures were often significantly blurred by roots and animal bioturbation. Moreover, soil formation within the deposits caused alterations, and in the case of thin layers, it was not possible to recognise them anymore. Tsunami boulders were only slightly weathered but not moved. Among the various factors influencing the preservation potential, the thickness of the original tsunami deposits is the most important. A comparison between the first post-tsunami survey and the preserved record suggests that tsunamis with a run-up smaller than three metres are not likely to be preserved; for larger tsunamis, only about 50% of their inundation area is likely to be presented by the preserved extent of the tsunami deposits. Any modelling of paleotsunamis from their deposits must take into account post-depositional changes.

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Tsunami waves leave sedimentary signatures both onshore and offshore, although the latter are hardly known. The objective of the present study is to provide new evidence for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami deposits left on the inner continental shelf of the Andaman Sea (Thailand) and to identify diagnostic sedimentological and geochemical properties of these deposits. Based on extensive seafloor mapping, three sediment cores were selected for study and were analysed for their sedimentary structures, grain size composition, chemical elemental composition, physical properties and 210 Pb activity. Sediment cores retrieved from shallow water (9-15 m) within 7.5 km off the shore revealed distinct event layers, which were interpreted as being tsunami deposits. These 20-25 cm thick deposits were already covered with post-tsunami marine sediments. They were composed of several units, marine sand layers alternating with poorly sorted mud with terrigenous and anthropogenic components, representing different hydrodynamic conditions (probably during run-up and backwash phase). These sedimentological observations were supported by geochemical and physical data and were confirmed using 210 Pb dating. A sediment core taken from a depth of 57 m at a distance of 25 km offshore did not reveal clear event deposits. Comparisons with available data from offshore tsunami deposits showed that there is no single set of signatures that could be applied to identify this kind of deposits.