First release of the European marine omics biodiversity observation network (EMO BON) shotgun metagenomics data from water and sediment samples.

The European Marine Omics Biodiversity Observation Network (EMO BON) is an initiative of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC) to establish a persistent genomic observatory amongst designated European coastal marine sites, sharing the same protocols for sampling and data curation. Environmental samples are collected from the water column and, at some sites, soft sediments and hard substrates (Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures - ARMS), together with a set of mandatory and discretionary metadata (including Essential Ocean Variables - EOVs). Samples are collected following standardised protocols at regular and specified intervals and sequenced in large six-monthly batches at a centralised sequencing facility.