Degradation of organic matter in coastal marine sediments is a key factor controlling diagenetic processes. The rate and extent of labile organic matter significantly affect the burial of carbon, regeneration of nutrients, and redox chemistry of metals. This paper summarizes a series of experimental works, which focus on determination of degradation rates and pathways of lipid compounds in coastal marine sediments. Two aspects are included in this paper: a) experimental approaches; and b) case studies. Experimental approaches include the setup of experimental system, simulation of various biogeochemical conditions, and utilization of various tracer techniques. Case studies include individual degradation stories of chlorophyll-a and various fatty acids (both free and cell- associated tracers) in sediments with different biogeochemical conditions.