Data underlying the publication: Subaqueous resetting of the luminescence clock: bleaching of sand-sized quartz and feldspar in coastal waters

This dataset documents a one-day field experiment that quantified how daylight resets luminescence signals of sand-sized quartz and feldspar grains in turbid, tidal-inlet waters. Sand samples were exposed in situ at multiple depths in a tidal inlet while concurrent measurements of underwater light spectra and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) were collected. Single-grain luminescence analyses show a clear, depth-dependent bleaching pattern: a shallow zone where grains bleach within a day and a deeper “bleaching front” below which no significant resetting occurred during the experiment. The observed bleaching depths correspond with predictions made from the measured subaqueous light spectra and mineral-specific photo-ionization behavior.

The dataset includes:

Raw and processed single-grain luminescence data for quartz and feldspar (raw reader files and derived signal data).
In-situ light spectra recorded throughout the exposure.
OBS turbidity records and calibrated suspended sediment concentration (SSC) profiles, with the calibration file.
Metadata describing sample locations, exposure depths, and timing.
All data-processing scripts (R and MATLAB) and commented analysis code used to extract signals, convert turbidity to SSC, and produce figures and tables.
Figures and tables generated from the analysis.

Instruments and provenance: luminescence measurements were produced using Netherlands Centre for Luminescence Dating (NCL) equipment; SSC and calibration protocol is described in the manuscript following standard protocols. Background and sample information is available via the NCL database under project code NCL-1123. For more information see README file.

This dataset supports coastal sediment transport studies, luminescence dating and tracing applications, validation of subaqueous bleaching models, and development of sensor-based SSC estimation methods.