Interactive comment on “Degradation state of organic matter in surface sediments from the Beaufort Shelf: a lipid approach” by J.-F. Rontani

Rontani and coauthors here present a detailed lipid analyses on surface sediments off the Mackenzie River in Arctic Canada. They provide interesting insights into abiotic and biotic degradation processes by using (the degradation products of) a range of sterols and monounsaturated fatty acids in this environment. The authors appear knowledgeable in lipid chemistry and interpretation of lipid patterns/trends as shown by their thorough and robust analyses, description of methods and results, and literature comparison. I do think, however, that the paper would benefit largely from (i) a