Metagenome-assembled genomes from reanalysis of Baltic Sea surface microlayer samples
This study presents metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) derived from reanalysis of publicly available metagenomic sequencing data from the Baltic Sea surface microlayer. Raw sequence reads were obtained from NCBI BioProject PRJNA855638, which characterized viral-bacterial communities inside and outside a natural surface slick in the Baltic Sea at 56.83° N, 16.45° E, sampled on 31 March 2021. The original study sequenced particle-associated (>5 µm), free-living (0.2-5 µm), and viral (<0.2 µm) fractions from sea-surface microlayer (SML) and underlying water (ULW) samples. For this reanalysis, we applied alternative assembly and binning approaches to the particle-associated (>5 µm) and free-living (0.2-5 µm) fraction reads from both SML and ULW samples to generate a complementary set of MAGs. Specifically, we reanalyzed the following samples: SRR20006721, SRR20006722, SRR20006724, SRR20006725, SRR20314587, SRR20314588, SRR20314590, and SRR20314591. Our assembly and binning workflow differs from the original study and provides additional genomic resources for understanding microbial diversity at the air-sea interface in brackish marine environments. This study includes only the newly generated MAGs; raw sequence data remain available under the original BioProject PRJNA855638. Original study: Rahlff, J., Wietz, M., Giebel, H.A. et al. Ecogenomics and cultivation reveal distinctive viral-bacterial communities in the surface microlayer of a Baltic Sea slick. ISME COMMUN. 3, 97 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43705-023-00307-8. Original data: NCBI BioProject PRJNA855638.