This dataset provides the sedimentological, palaeoecological and geochemical data for the Lateglacial sediment sequence retrieved from Lake Hämelsee (Germany) in 2013. Loss-on-ignition, XRF, n-alkane, delta-Deuterium and GDGT measurements as well as counts of chironomids, diatoms and Pediastrum are presented against both depth (m) and age (cal yr. BP). The data provides information on the Lateglacial development of the landscape around lake Hämelsee, the local climate dynamics, and the changes in the lake ecosystem itself and has been used to identify the effects of external drivers on biodiversity parameters (alpha diversity, compositional turnover and productivity). Cores were retrieved from the lake using a 3-m long UWITEC piston corer deployed from a floating coring platform during field work in July 2013. Following LOI analysis, ITRAX core scanning and sampling for thin section analysis, core segments spanning between 1325-1687 cm sediment depth were subsampled into contiguous 1-cm-thick subsamples. These subsamples formed the basis for the subsequent chronological, sedimentological and palaeoecological analyses and were processed in various laboratories as specified below. Where appropriate, datasets are processed through amalgamation of consecutive samples to e.g. ensure high count sums or concentrations.

The dataset includes the following worksheets:• LOI: Loss-on-ignition presented as percentage weight-loss (Laboratory: Utrecht University, The Netherlands);• XRF: selected geochemical major and minor elements (Ti, Si, Ca, Fe) expressed as counts per second, as elemental ratios, as centered log-ratios (CLR) and as log-ratios (log) (Laboratory: GFZ Potsdam, Germany);• Pediastrum: taxa presented as percentage of the total Pediastrum count sum; Count sum (number), concentration (number/ml) and Pediastrum accumulation rate (PAR; number/cm2/yr) also provided (Laboratory: Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany);• Diatoms taxa presented as counts (individual valves). (Laboratory: University College London, UK);• Chironomids: taxa presented as counts (whole or half head capsules). Weight per sample (g) also provided (Laboratory: University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands);• n-alkanes: concentrations of individual n-alkanes presented as ug/g dry weight; Total concentration of n-alkanes (ug/g dry weight), average chain length (ACL) and carbon preference index (CPI) also provided (Laboratory: GFZ Potsdam, Germany);• δD: delta-Deuterium measurements of selected n-alkanes presented as δD values corrected to the VSMOW scale (δD vs VSMOW ‰) with Standard Deviations (SD) given for each measurement. Average δD value for the C27, C29 and C31 n-alkane also provided (Laboratory: GFZ Potsdam, Germany);• GDGT: concentrations of individual n-alkanes presented as ug/g dry weight; (Laboratory: Utrecht University, The Netherlands)