Metagenomes from the Bedford Basin and the Scotian shelf Metagenome

The Bedford Basin forms the inner portion of the Halifax Harbour. Freshwater is supplied from both the Sackville River and additional runoff from the watershed. The Basin is connected to the Atlantic Ocean through a channel which is 10 km long, 400 m wide and 20 m deep (Li and Dickie 2001). Since 1992, the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO) has carried out weekly monitoring at the Compass Buoy station, located at the deepest point of the basin (71 m); water samples are collected at depths of 1, 5, 10 and 60 metres.Similarly, the Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP) program that was implemented in 1998, aims to collect and analyze the biological, chemical and physical field data from the continental slope and the deep waters of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean.The broad goals of both these programs can be described as follows:- To characterize and understand the causes of oceanic variability at the seasonal, inter-annual and decadal scales- To provide multidisciplinary data sets that can be used to establish relationships among the biological, chemical and physical variables- To provide adequate data to support the sound development of ocean activitiesIn cooperation with BIO and Doug Wallace (CERC.OCEAN), we are examining the microbial communities of the Bedford Basin and the Scotian shelf utilizing techniques such as flow cytometry, microscopy, and genetic analyses. The metagenomes submitted in this project have been sequenced from samples collected from these monitoring programs.

贝德福德盆地（Bedford Basin）为哈利法克斯港（Halifax Harbour）的内湾区域。其淡水补给源自萨克维尔河（Sackville River）与流域内的其他径流。该盆地通过一条长10公里、宽400米、水深20米的水道与大西洋（Atlantic Ocean）相连（Li与Dickie，2001）。
自1992年起，贝德福德海洋研究所（Bedford Institute of Oceanography, BIO）便在位于该盆地最深处（71米）的罗盘浮标站（Compass Buoy station）开展每周例行监测，采样深度覆盖1米、5米、10米与60米。
与之类似，1998年启动的大西洋区域监测计划（Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program, AZMP）旨在收集并分析西北大西洋大陆坡与深水区的生物、化学及物理现场数据。
两项计划的核心目标可归纳如下：
- 刻画并解析季节、年际及年代际尺度下的海洋变动成因；
- 提供多学科数据集，用于明确生物、化学与物理变量间的关联；
- 提供充足数据以支撑海洋活动的健康有序发展。
本团队与贝德福德海洋研究所（BIO）及道格·华莱士（CERC.OCEAN）合作，借助流式细胞术、显微镜观测与遗传分析等技术，对贝德福德盆地与斯科舍陆架（Scotian shelf）的微生物群落开展研究。本项目提交的宏基因组（metagenomes）测序数据，均来自上述两项监测计划所采集的样本。