The dataset reports CO2 and CH4 production rates from a laboratory incubation of soil samples sourced from two permafrost cores taken in April 2022 near Utqiagvik, Alaska, USA. For one half of both permafrost cores, the upper meter was subsampled into four layers each. From each layer, a small part was used for soil parameter analysis (see doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.969147) and a bigger part was used for an incubation. For the incubation mimicking a sea water inundation, sample material was incubated under anaerobic condition at 10 °C for 368 days. Headspace gas samples (5 mL) were taken multiple times and CO2 and CH4 concentrations were determined with a gas chromatograph (Shimadzu, Nexis GC-2030). Production rates and cumulative productions were calculated per gram soil and per gram carbon as described in the method of Robertson., et al. (1999). In order to assess the effect of salt water on the CO2 and CH4 production, three artificially manufactured salt treatments were applied: a control treatment (tap water), a brackish water treatment (salt content: 12.6 ‰) and a sea water treatment (salt content: 34.5-34.8 ‰). In total, the incubation comprises of 104 samples which conclude from two cores x four layers x three treatments x four replicates + two cores x four blanks (blanks not in dataset).