October 2012 water column bacterial diversity data supporting changes in Louisiana marsh microbial communities after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

This dataset includes an inventory of processed, taxonomically classified bacterial amplicons from marsh water, a component of a longitudinal study of marsh microbial diversity and sediment stability before, during, and after oil deposition associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The goals of the dataset are 1) to assess and track bacterial community composition in Louisiana marshes over time and 2) to contribute to a biophysical model of marsh ecosystem processes in the context of petrogenic and biogenic hydrocarbon exposure.