Age model and alkenone-based sea surface temperature record of ODP Site 177-1090

Alkenones, lipid biomarkers produced by certain species of coccolithophores and preserved in marine sediment cores, are a well-established proxy of sea surface temperature (SST). Here, we share a dataset containing a high resolution (~2-3 kyr) record of previously unpublished SST estimates for ODP Site 1090 during the Pliocene, calculated using the Uk'37 alkenone unsaturation index. The data spans approximately 4.27-2.58 Ma. We additionally supply the estimated maximum %C37:4, revealing low concentrations of this ketone. Using our SST estimates and shipboard data (magnetic susceptibility and cryomagnetic inclination), we produced an improved composite of ODP Site 1090 Holes D and E by correlating the two holes' properties. We then used biostratigraphic, magnetostratigraphic, and SST data to establish constraints for our age model. Although alkenone-based SST records Site ODP 1090 records already exist, we were motivated to create this reconstruction because inconsistent temperature estimates across existing reconstructions (Etourneau et al., 2010 & Martínez-Garcia et al., 2010) and unusually high reported C37:4 values in the Martínez-Garcia record. Our record reveals both lower SST estimates and lower %C37:4 than those in the Martínez-Garcia record.