δDeuterium measurements of selected n-alkanes (corrected to the VSMOW scale) in sediment core Haem13 from lake Hämelsee

This dataset provides delta-Deuterium data for the Lateglacial sediment sequence retrieved from Lake Hämelsee (Germany) in 2013. Compound-specific hydrogen isotope ratios (expressed as δD) normalized to the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW) as well as measurement uncertainties (expressed as SD) are presented against both depth (m) and age (cal yr. BP). The data provides information on the Lateglacial development of local climate dynamics: the plant-wax derived δD signal is typically considered to reflect the hydrogen-isotopic composition of plant leaf water and, by extension, precipitation. We therefore interpret the trends in δD record here as an indicator of past hydrological change (cf Sachse et al., 2012). A total of 167 samples from the Lateglacial section of the core were processed using a Dionex 350 accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) system. Solid phase extraction (SPE) was used to separate the extracts into an aliphatic, aromatic and alcohol/fatty acid fraction. Prior to isotope ratio measurement, the aliphatic fraction was further fractionated on a Pasteur pipette column containing activated AgNO3 (10%) coated silica gel. Compound-specific hydrogen isotope ratios (expressed as δD) were subsequently measured on an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. All δD values are normalized to the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW) scale using a linear regression function between measured and certified δD values of a standard mix. We refer to Rach et al. (2020) for further details on the exact analytical setup. All measurements were performed in the laboratories of GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam.