Despite the fact that the lake-watershed unit is probably the ideal system for high-resolution global change studies that use magnetic methods to elucidate the climate record [ Oldfield, 1977], far more work has been done on marine sediment sequences drilled by the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and its predecessor the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP). A summary of the magnetic methods used by the ODP is found in King and Channell [1991]. Major general uses of magnetic methods by ODP and DSDP investigators include: (1) core correlation and dating with magnetic susceptibility logs [e.g., Robinson and McCave, 1994; deMenocal et al., 1991; Polgreen et al., 1993]; (2) detection of climatic cycles and characterization of shifts in their frequency [e.g., deMenocal et al., 1991; Glenn et al., 1993; Park et al., 1993; Robinson and McCave, 1994]; (3) detection of terrigenous fluxes and characterization of the temporal variation of these fluxes [e.g., deMenocal et al., 1991; Robinson and McCave, 1994; Robinson and Maslin, in press; Rack et al., in press]; and (4) detection and characterization of post-depositional reduction diagenesis [e.g., Bloemendal et al., 1992; 1993; Lu and Banerjee, 1994]. Magnetic studies of marine sedimentary rocks exposed on land have also provided paleoclimatic information [e.g., Mayer, 1993]. One very encouraging development in magnetic-property studies of marine sediments is that in several instances use of the system approach either has already led to significant breakthroughs in our understanding of climate change or promises to do so in the near future. Several examples of magnetic studies to understand the climate record are described in the following sections with respect to the climate systems for Asia, subtropical Africa, and the North Atlantic Ocean.