Diatom and coccolithophorid abundance and diatom assemblage composition found in the water column along the Portuguese margin, during upwelling and non-upwelling conditions, are compared to the distribution patterns observed in the recent sediments from the same area. The water column results indicate a one order of magnitude increase in phytoplankton biomass during upwelling conditions (summer). with diatoms being the most important contributors. Coccolithophorids, on the contrary, dominate the phytoplankton in winter (non-upwelling). The comparison of the upwelling and non-upwelling spatial distribution of these phytoplankton groups to their sedimentary record reveals the sediment record as a reflection of the upwelling situation, preserving most of its original spatial variability. The comparison between living and fossil diatom assemblages indicates that from the two genera which dominate the summer biological assemblage, Pseudo-nitzschia and Chaetoceros, Pseudo-nitzschia is not represented in the sediments, while Chaetoceros is the dominant form of the sediment. Thalassiosira, which occurs in the same abundance in both seasons, responding to both river and upwelling nutrient input, can not be a reliable indicator of any single process. However. this genus distribution in the sediments can be used as an indicator of continuous nutrient availability. Such results are of great importance for paleoceanographic reconstructions, since they constitute a good indication that the sediment record, even though somewhat altered with respect to assemblage composition, does reflect the water column characteristics.