This dataset contains compound-specific hydrogen (δ2H) and carbon (δ13C) isotope compositions and concentrations of long-chain n-alkanes and fatty acids (n-alkanoic acids) from the ROT21 sediment record of Rotsee, Central Switzerland (47°04′10″N, 8°18′48″E, 419 m a.s.l.). Sediment cores were retrieved in October 2021 using a UWITEC gravity corer, and the dataset spans the past ~13,000 years based on 19 radiocarbon dates (terrestrial and aquatic macrofossils) integrated with 210Pb and 137Cs profiles (see De Jonge et al., 2025). Laboratory analyses were conducted between February 2023 and November 2024 at the University of Basel.
Sediment samples (~2–5 g) were sub-sampled, freeze-dried, spiked with internal standards (n-C19-alkanoic acid, n-C36-alkane, 2-octadecanone, and n-C21-alkanol), and extracted with dichloromethane/methanol (9:1, v/v) using an Accelerated Solvent Extractor (Dionex ASE 350, Thermo Fisher Scientific). Following saponification, neutral fractions were separated via silica gel chromatography, and fatty acids were converted to fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). Both n-alkanes and FAMEs were further purified to isolate saturated compounds using AgNO3-impregnated silica gel columns, then analyzed and quantified by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Peak areas were normalized to recovery standards to account for potential losses during sample handling, and compounds were identified by comparison with external standards.
Compound-specific δ2H and δ13C values were determined by gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) and normalized to the VSMOW-SLAP (δ2H) and VPDB (δ13C) scales. Analytical precision was ±3-5 ‰ for δ2H and ±0.2–0.3 ‰ for δ13C.
The dataset was generated to reconstruct past hydroclimate and vegetation dynamics in Central Europe using plant wax δ2H records. Full methodological details are provided in the study: Central Europe hydroclimate since the Younger Dryas inferred from vegetation-corrected sedimentary plant wax δ2H values (Santos et al., 2026).
Surface sediment were extracted 4 times by ultrasonication with dichloromethane: methanol (9:1, v/v) for 15 min for FAs and alkanes. For quantification of FAs and alkanes, known amounts of 19-methylarachidic acid and squalane were added as internal standards prior to extraction. Supernatants from each extraction were obtained by centrifugation and combined. The total lipid extracts were concentrated and evaporated under a nitrogen stream. The total lipid extracts were saponified for 2 h at 80 °C with 1 mL of KOH (0.1 M) in methanol: H2O (9:1, v/v). After saponification, the neutral fractions were liquid-liquid extracted with n-hexane and alkanes were eluted from the neutral fractions by silica gel column chromatography with n-hexane. The remaining KOH solution was acidified to pH 1, from which FA were liquid-liquid extracted into dichloromethane. The extracted and dried FAs were converted to methyl ester derivatives (FAMEs) in methanol: HCl (95:5, v/v) at 60 °C for 12 h. After methylation, the FAME fraction was further purified by silica gel column chromatography using dichloromethane: hexane (2:1, v/v) to remove residual polar compounds.
FAMEs and alkanes were analyzed on a 7890A gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with a DB-5MS fused silica capillary column (60 m, 250 µm, 0.25 µm) and a flame ionization detector (FID). Peak areas were determined by integrating the respective peaks and concentrations were calculated against the internal standards. FAME contents were subsequently corrected for the derivative methyl carbon to determine FA contents. FAs and alkanes were normalized to OC content.
In March 2022, 56 surface sediments were collected from the Helgoland Mud Area and surrounding sandy areas in the North Sea. These surface sediments were analyzed for grain size, organic carbon (OC) content, total nitrogen content (TN), stable carbon isotope of OC, and abundances of source-specific alkanes and fatty acids, in aim to determine and quantify composition and sources of OC, to understand the degradation and sequestration of marine and terrestrial OC in sediments, and to estimate the burial fluxes and burial efficiencies of marine and terrestrial OC in the Helgoland Mud Area. Detailed dataset interpretation can be found in Wei et al. (2024, in preparation).
Sponge grounds are hotspots of biomass and biodiversity in the otherwise barren deep sea. It remains unknown how these ecosystems can thrive in such food limited environments, since organic matter settling from the surface ocean covers only small parts of their carbon demand. In this study, the food-web interactions and potential food sources of a North Atlantic deep-sea sponge reef were identified by bulk and compound-specific stable isotope analysis of amino and fatty acids. The elevated bulk δ15N values of sponges with relatively low abundance of associated microbes (LMA) is in line with a position at the top of the benthic food web, while the relatively high δ13C and intermediate δ15N values of high microbial abundance (HMA) sponges suggest considerable reliance on an alternate resource. Trophic positions based on amino acid δ15N values placed HMA sponges at the base of the food web. Fatty acid analysis of δ13C indicated transfer of sponge derived organic matter to the wider food web. Our results show that sponges drive both bottom-up and top-down processes, shunting organic carbon to higher trophic levels that would otherwise be inaccessible to other fauna. In this way, sponges are key to the sustenance of thriving deep-sea ecosystems.