Profile Page

Steven L. D'Hondt

Professor of Oceanography

100A, Horn Building

dhondt@gso.uri.edu

401-874-6808

http://www.gso.uri.edu/dhondtlab

Educational Background

Ph.D. Geological and Geophysical Sciences B.S., Geology

Princeton University Stanford University

1990 1984

Areas of Specialization

Research

My current projects include studies of life in extreme environments (principally life in subseafloor sediment) and biological controls on the chemical evolution of the ocean and atmosphere. Members of my research group participate in expeditions throughout the world. Many of our projects utilize the URI Geobiology Laboratory.

Teaching

My graduate courses generally focus on aspects of geobiology. In autumn 2009, I will co-teach an undergraduate course on Ocean Exploration with Robert Ballard and Chris Roman. My other recent courses include a graduate course in Marine Stratigraphy, an undergraduate honors course on Life in the Universe (co-taught with Arthur Spivack), and the 2008 URI Honors Colloquium on "People and Planet - Global Environmental Change" (http://www.uri.edu/hc) (co-taught with Spivack and Judith Swift).

Outreach

The outreach efforts of our Honors Colloquium included (1) public lectures and events, (2) sponsorship of book clubs throughout Rhode Island, (3) map exhibits at multiple locations throughout the state, (4) broadcasting of the lectures on public television, and (5) creation and internet posting of short videos. All of these efforts focus on human-caused environmental change. You can learn more about them at http://www.uri.edu/hc.

Students

Emily Walsh

M.S.

expected 2011

Publications:

D’Hondt, S., A. Spivack, R, Pockalny, T. Ferdelman, J. Fischer, J. Kallmeyer, L. Abrams, D.C. Smith, D. Graham, F. Hasiuk, J. Rogers, H. Schrum and A. Stancin, 2009. Subseafloor sedimentary life in the South Pacific gyre, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 106(28), 11651-11656.

Kallmeyer, J., D.C. Smith, A.J. Spivack and S. D’Hondt, 2008. A new cell extraction procedure applied to sediments from the deep subsurface biosphere, Limnology and Oceanography: Methods 6, 236-245.

Wang, G., A.J. Spivack, S. Rutherford, U. Manor and S. D’Hondt, 2008. Quantification of co-occurring reaction rates in deep subseafloor sediments, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 72, 3479-3488, doi:10.1016/j.gca.2008.04.024.

Blair, C.C., S. D’Hondt, A.J. Spivack and R.H. Kingsley, 2007. Potential of radiolytic hydrogen for microbial respiration in subseafloor sediments, Astrobiology 7 (6), 951-970.

Riccardi, A., L.R. Kump, M.A. Arthur and S. D’Hondt, 2007. Carbon Isotopic Evidence for chemocline upward excursions during the end-Permian event, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 248(1-2), 73-81.

Jørgensen, B.B., and S. D'Hondt, 2006. A starving majority deep beneath the seafloor, Science, 314, 932-943.

Jørgensen, B.B., S.L. D'Hondt, and D.J. Miller, 2006. Leg 201 synthesis: Controls on microbial communities in deeply buried sediments. In B.B. Jørgensen, S.L. D'Hondt, and D.J. Miller (Eds.), Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 201, 1-45 [Print, CD-ROM and World Wide Web].

Coxall, H.K., S. D'Hondt, and J.C. Zachos, 2006. Pelagic evolution and environmental recovery after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction, Geology, 34 (4), 297-300, doi: 10.1130/G21702.1.

Inagaki, F., T. Nunoura, S. Nakagawa, A. Teske, M. Lever, A. Lauer, M. Suzuki, K. Takai, M. Delwiche, F.S. Colwell, K.H. Nealson, K. Horikoshi, S. D’Hondt and B.B. Jørgensen, 2006. Biogeographical distribution and diversity of microbes in methane hydrate-bearing deep marine sediments on the Pacific Ocean Margin, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, U.S.A. 103(8), 2815-2820.

D'Hondt, S, B.B Jørgensen, D.J. Miller, A. Batzke, R. Blake, B.A. Cragg, H. Cypionka, G.R. Dickens, T. Ferdelman, K.-U. Hinrichs, N.G. Holm, R. Mitterer, A. Spivack, G. Wang, B. Bekins, Bert Engelen, K. Ford, G. Gettemy, S.D. Rutherford, Henrik Sass, C.G. Skilbeck, I.W. Aiello, G. Guérin, C. House, F. Inagaki, P. Meister, T. Naehr, S. Niitsuma, R.J. Parkes, A. Schippers, D.C. Smith, A. Teske, J. Wiegel, C. Naranjo Padilla, J.L. Solis Acosta, 2004. Distributions of microbial activities in deep subseafloor sediments, Science, 306, 2216-2221.

Presentations:

Durbin, A.M., J. Biddle, A. Martino, C. House, J. Fischer, A. Spivack, H. Schrum, S. D’Hondt and A. Teske, 2009. Microbial community stratification in TOC-depleted marine subsurface sediments of the Pacific Ocean, Goldschmidt Conference Abstracts, A316.

Kallmeyer, J., R. Pockalny and S. D’Hondt, 2009. Quantifying global subseafloor microbial abundance: method and implications, Goldschmidt Conference Abstracts, A615.

D’Hondt, S., A. Spivack, R. Pockalny, T. Ferdelman, J. Fischer, J. Kallmeyer, 2008. Patterns of Respiration and Sources of Electron Donors in Subseafloor Sediment, Eos Trans. AGU 89(53), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract B51F-06.

Pockalny, R. A., J. Kallmeyer, S. D'Hondt, 2008. Quantifying Global Subseafloor Microbial Abundance: Method and Implications, Eos Trans. AGU 89(53), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract B51F-07.