This data set describes the soil core and sample characteristics from soil cores collected in the Noatak (67.03 N; -162.45 E), Kobuk (66.79 N; -161.37 E), and Selawik (66.58 N; -160.06 E) river delta in Northwest Alaska during the AWI PETA-CARB West-Alaska 2016 field campaign. The soil cores were collected in August 2016 with a SIPRE (Snow, Ice and Permafrost Research Establishment, Fairbanks, Alaska) auger (diameter 2 inch). Prior to collecting the frozen permafrost cores, active layer was excavated, described, and sampled with a knife and a fixed volume cylinder. This data set includes the information on 26 different soil profiles and cores down to a depth of 2 m, resulting in 348 samples.The data table includes the sample characteristics including depth, volume, weight, water content, bulk density as well as measured total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and carbon to nitrogen ratio (CN). TOC was analyzed with a Vario Max C elemental analyzer and TN was analyzed with a Vario EL III elemental analyzer in laboratories at Alfred Wegener Institute Potsdam. Prior to analysis, samples were weighted, freeze-dried, homogenized, ground and subsampled for the different analyzes.