Metagenomic analysis of an Urban Superfund Site: the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, New York

Here we present a metagenomic analysis of the Gowanus Canal sediment, consisting of a longitudinal study of surface sediment and a depth-based study of soil core samples. We demonstrate that the metagenome of the resident microbiome, including extremophiles as well as marine and freshwater species, encodes functions related to organic contaminant degradation, heavy metal utilization, and detoxification.