Data for Distinct modes of aged soil carbon export in a large tropical lake basin identified using bulk and compound-specific radiocarbon analyses of fluvial and lacustrine sediment

We analyzed 14C in bulk organic matter, palmitic acid (C16), and long-chain n-alkanoic acids (C24, C26, C28), within fluvial and lake sediments in the catchment of Lake Izabal, a large tectonic lake basin in Guatemala. We combined these measurements with bulk and compound-specific delta13C measurements, as well as sediment OC:N ratios, to understand the source and age of sedimentary organic matter in different regions of the lake catchment.