Data from: A compendium of geochemical information from the Saanich Inlet water column

Marine oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are widespread and naturally occurring water column features that constitute ~7% of global ocean volume, but contribute disproportionately to biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen and climate active trace gases such as nitrous oxide and methane. Climate change compounded by other human activities is causing OMZ expansion. While microbial communities are the primary engines driving biogeochemical cycles in OMZs, our current understanding of microbial community metabolism is hindered by a lack of time-series observations charting responses to changing water column oxygen-deficiency. Saanich Inlet, a seasonally anoxic fjord on the coast of Vancouver Island British Columbia is a model ecosystem for monitoring microbial community structure, function and dynamics in relation to changing levels of water column oxygen-deficiency extensible to coastal and open ocean OMZs. Here, we present nine years of monthly time series observations in Saanich Inlet encompassing water column chemistry and environmental sequence information. This compendium provides a unique ecological and biogeochemical framework for comparative community analysis and modelling efforts in OMZs throughout the global ocean.

海洋低氧区（Marine Oxygen Minimum Zones, OMZs）是广泛分布的天然水柱特征，约占全球海洋总体积的7%，却在碳、氮以及氧化亚氮、甲烷等气候活性痕量气体的生物地球化学循环中发挥着远超其体积占比的重要作用。气候变化叠加其他人类活动正导致海洋低氧区范围扩张。尽管微生物群落是海洋低氧区生物地球化学循环的核心驱动引擎，但当前学界对其代谢过程的认知，因缺乏可追踪水柱缺氧程度变化响应的长期时间序列观测数据而受到限制。萨尼奇湾（Saanich Inlet）是坐落于加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华岛沿岸的季节性缺氧峡湾，是研究水柱缺氧程度变化与微生物群落结构、功能及动态变化关联的模式生态系统，其研究成果可推广至近岸及开阔大洋的海洋低氧区。本数据集收录了萨尼奇湾为期9年的逐月时间序列观测数据，涵盖水柱化学特征与环境序列信息。该数据集为全球范围内海洋低氧区的群落比较分析与建模研究，提供了独具特色的生态与生物地球化学研究框架。