This large set of suspended matter (SPM) samples was collected in different oceanic areas between 1999 and 2017 from shelf seas to the deep ocean. The samples were compiled from previous studies and used for statistical analyses in order to better understand particle dynamics and organic matter cycling in the ocean and to test and refine amino acid (AA) and hexosamine (HA) based biogeochemical indicators. Samples were analysed for total nitrogen (N) and total carbon (C) using a Carlo Erba nitrogen analyser 1500. Total organic carbon (TOC) was measured with the same instrument after treatment of weighed samples with 1N HCl to remove carbonate. Stable nitrogen isotopes of total particulate nitrogen (δ15N-TPN) were analysed with the mass spectrometer Thermo Finnigan MAT 252. AA and HA contents and their individual monomers were analysed by liquid chromatography using a Biochrom 30 amino acid analyzer. Contents of AA and HA are presented in nmol/g and µg/g. AAC, AAN, HAC, HAN are presented in µg/g and as percentages of TOC (AAC/C, HAC/C) or TN (AAN/N, HAN/N). AA and HA monomers are presented in Mol% and comprise aspartic acid (ASP), glutamic acid (Glu), threonine (Thr), serine (Ser), glycine (Gly), alanine (Ala), valine (Val), methionine (Met), isoleucine (Ile), leucine (Leu), tyrosine (Tyr), phenylalanine (Phe), β-Alanine (β-Ala), γ-aminobutyric acid (γ-Aba), histidine (His), ornithine (Orn), lysine (Lys) and arginine (Arg), glucosamine (Gluam) and galactosamine (Galam). Cysteic acid (CYA), taurine (TAU), methionine sulfoximine (MSO) and tryptophane (TRP) were determined only in the more recent samples. Data gaps indicate that measurements were not carried out or that they were not stored in the older data sets. The RI was calculated according to Jennerjahn and Ittekkot (1997; https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00093/20403/) and the DI after Dauwe et al. (1999; doi:10.4319/lo.1999.44.7.1809). Definitions of biogeochemical indicators SDI, RTI, ox/anox and a detailed description of the methods can be found in Gaye et al. (2022).
The Kupferschiefer districts in Central Europe contain some of the world’s highest-grade sediment-hosted stratiform Cu (SSC) deposits (see Borg et al., 2012). The high-grade sulfide mineralization in the organic matter-rich marine mudstones of the Kupferschiefer (T1), and also in the underlying continental sandstones of the uppermost Rotliegend (S1) and overlying Zechstein Limestone (Ca1), in the Saale subbasin (Eastern Germany) are dominantly formed as a replacement of calcite cement (Mohammedyasin et al., 2023).
We provide carbonate major element chemistry, carbon isotope composition of organic matter, and calcite carbon and oxygen isotope microanalysis datasets of drill core samples from the Saale subbasin in Eastern Germany. The samples include the uppermost Rotliegend sandstone (S1), Kupferschiefer (T1) mudstones and lowermost Zechstein Limestone (Ca1), referred as the Kupferschiefer system, from three drill cores (Sangerhausen, Allstedt and Wallendorf).
For further details, see Mohammedyasin et al. (Chemical Geology, when available).