Records of 1 0 Be, 9 Be, mineralogy and grain size were obtained from two cores collected by the Polarstern Expedition 1991 in the southern Nansen Basin (Core 2213-6) and the Yermak Plateau (Core 2208-2). The accumulation of sediments examined started from about 350 ka (BP), and includes relatively well defined trends of Be isotopes coincident with interglacial/glacial climatic cycles. Sediment accumulation rates (g/cm 2 ka) were higher during glacial periods and our estimates of 1.0 and 2.5 cm/ka sedimentation rates during the Holocene agree with other estimates for the southern Nansen Basin and the Yermak Plateau, respectively. The variations in 1 0 Be concentration (atoms/g) and flux (atoms/cm 2 ka) are inverse to sediment flux, where high 1 0 Be concentration and flux are associated with generally low sedimentation/accumulation rates during interglacial periods. We hypothesize that climate plays an important role in 1 0 Be records from the Arctic sediments, reflecting the intensity and distribution of the ice mass on land and the ocean.