We collected duplicate water samples from five depths in the water column of alkaline, hypersaline Mono Lake, CA, USA in July 2012 of the first year of a period of meromixis. We extracted DNA, amplified the 16S rRNA gene (V4-V5 region with 515F/907R primers) , and sequenced using 454 Titanium technology. The goal of the project was to examine the changes in microbial communities through a redox gradient in the stratified lake.