The samples presented here were collected with the intent to understand methane cycling in the sediments of the Baltic Sea as part of the BALTIC GAS project funded by the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 217246 made with the joint Baltic Sea Research and Development programme BONUS. Sediment cores from the Baltic Sea were collected and serve as events in this archive. The events took place in Mecklenburg Bay, Arkona Basin, Bornholm Basin, Gotland Basin, Bothnian Sea, and Bothnian Bay. Ninety events took place between July 31- August 15, 2010 aboard RV Maria S. Merian cruise MSM16/1. From the sediment cores, porewater was extracted and analyzed for sulfate, chloride, ammonium, major ions (barium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium), hydrogen sulfide, and dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations. Dissolved inorganic carbon was also measured for stable carbon isotope ratios. Sediment plugs were collected for measuring concentrations and stable carbon isotope ratios of methane. Sulfate reduction rates were also measured on sediment cores. Bulk sediment was then analyzed for total organic carbon and nitrogen content, along with stable carbon and nitrogen ratios on total organic matter. Sediments were also measured for wet bulk density and water content of wet mass, from which porosity was calculated.
The crystalline aquifer in Ghana’s Pra Basin provides water for over 4 million people as many rivers are polluted by artisanal mining. The aim of the data collection was to understand the origin, quality and chemical evolution of surface water and ground water in order to improve the sustainable management of the resource. Here, we present data on major ions, trace metals, stable oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δ2H) isotope ratios of surface water and ground water and mineralogical composition of rock outcrops from the Pra Basin in Ghana.
The field campaign took place in March 2020 (water sampling) and August 2021 (outcrop sampling). A total of 34 surface water and 56 ground water samples were collected from rivers, public boreholes (depth >30 m) and hand-dug wells (depth < 10 m), respectively. The water samples were analysed for cations and trace metals using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The anions were analysed using the Ion Chromatography (IC). For the stable oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δ2H) isotope ratios, a Picarro L-2140i Ringdown Spectrometer was used. The bulk elemental composition of the rock samples was analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The mineralogic composition was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) while the Zeiss Axiophot petrographic microscope was used for the petrographic thin section analysis.
The data generated from all measurements are provided in a .zip folder consisting of four subfolders. Each folder contains Excel files discussed in the file inventory section.