Sequential bomb radiocarbon data for scute growth rate estimation in green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles stranded in the Gulf of Mexico and southwest Atlantic from 2018-06-14 to 2022-07-14

This dataset contains sequential bomb radiocarbon data for scute growth rate estimation in green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles stranded in the Gulf of Mexico and southwest Atlantic from 2018-06-14 to 2022-07-14. Incrementally formed biological tissues can provide an archive of biochemical information pertaining to the life histories of organisms. In order to estimate the time periods represented by such data, the growth rates of incremental tissues must be known. In order to establish the growth rates of green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) scute keratin, we obtained 154 bomb radiocarbon measurements from the sequentially sampled scute biopsies of 32 individuals who stranded along the coasts of Florida between 2019-2022. Using a Bayesian depositional modelling approach and a local radiocarbon reference series compiled using measurements from known-age corals and otoliths, we reconstructed scute growth rates for each individual. This dataset provided the unmodelled, sequential radiocarbon data for each individual and accompanying details regarding stranding location, date and carapace length. This dataset supports the publication: Linscott, B., Wallace, A.A., Becerra-Valdivia, L. et al. Bomb radiocarbon reveals keratin growth dynamics in loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) turtles. Mar Biol 173, 34 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-025-04792-4