Repository series · ncbi-prjna1140636

Nitrifying microbes in the northwest Arabian Gulf

This study used a metagenomic sequencing approach to generate spatiotemporal profiles of marine nitrifying microbes in the unique waters of the northwest Arabian Gulf. The study was conducted over a 12-month period and involved analysis of nucleic acids isolated from seawater samples collected monthly from both the surface and the bottom of the water column from three distinct sampling sites, as well as from sediment samples from the same sites. Metagenomic sequencing at a depth of 20 M paired-end reads per sample was performed followed by bioinformatic analysis. Collectively, the data generated allows for comparisons of nitrifying microbial community structure between the surface and the bottom of the water column, seawater and sediment, four different seasons (summer, autumn, winter, and spring), and three different stations. This study is the first of its kind to comprehensively investigate nitrogen cycling in Kuwaiti territorial waters of the northwest Arabian Gulf with the aim of gaining necessary insights into microbial regulation of this biogeochemical process, which has immense environmental and economic implications particularly in the local context of oil production and clearance of oil spills.