Metagenomes and Metagenome-Assembled Genomes from Tidal Lagoons at a New York City Waterfront Park

We report the sequencing and analysis of 15 shotgun metagenomes from tidallagoons and bay water at Bush Terminal Pier Park in Brooklyn, NY from July toSeptember 2024. This waterfront park, developed on a former brownfield, issubject to storm- and sea level rise-related flooding, is a social and environmentalamenity for area residents, and, in combination with efforts to rezone nearbyindustrial areas for mixed-use development, is impacted by the contested forces ofgentrification. In addition to sports fields, there are a series of short naturetrails through a small, wooded area, and walking paths near our focal lagoons.These lagoons have been used for community events (e.g., a community boatingevent in summer 2024) and we frequently encountered members of the publicusing these spaces. Notably, this park is an active site of ecological research andrestoration. The Billion Oyster Project, a community organization building artificialoyster reefs across the New York Harbor, has an active community-maintainedoyster reef in the innermost of our focal lagoons and preliminary plans to buildanother nearby.