Biogeochemistry at Old Dominion University

Biogeochemistry is a broad field that encompasses many of the concepts common to environmental chemistry, atmospheric chemistry, inorganic and organic geochemistry, oceanography and microbial ecology.

Biogeochemistry is the study of the cycling of elements on the Earth's surface as mediated by the synthesis, death, decomposition of organic matter produced by living organisms. Understanding these processes requires knowledge of how the surrounding environment affects organisms and their metabolic processes. Much of the work in biogeochemistry is focused on studies of biologically critical elements expecially C, N, P, S, Si, and trace metals



The global nitrogen cycle is an important area
of research in biogeochemistry (also see below)

At Old Dominion University, research in biogeochemistry includes studies of:

  • Harmful algal blooms,
  • Organic matter characterization and diagenesis,
  • Photochemistry and carbon cycling in natural waters,
  • Sediment-seagrass interaction in tropical environments,
  • Stable isotope biogeochemistry and petroleum formation,
  • Sulfur gasses and atmospheric chemistry,
  • Trace metal-organism interactions in estuarine and open ocean environments.
Our research is done both in our own backyard (including Chesapeake Bay and the Elizabeth River) and places as far-flung as the Antarctic and the Arctic Ocean, the Bahamas, the equatorial Pacific Ocean,
Brazil and China.
Opportunities for graduate study in biogeochemistry at ODU are available through M.S. programs in Chemistry, Biology, and Oceanography and Ph.D. programs in Oceanography and Ecological Sciences.
A Ph.D. program in Chemistry, with biogeochemistry as one of its focus areas, is also currently being developed. Regardless of which program you choose to study in, classes and research opportunities in
all of the areas described here are available to all students. For general information about ODU click here.
Underrepresented minority students interested in studying marine biogeochemistry at the graduate level can apply for financial
support under the "Hall-Bonner Program for Minority Doctoral
Scholars in Ocean Sciences" that is a cooperatively run program
between Old Dominion University, Hampton University, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences.

For further general information on careers in biogeochemsitry (and geosciences in general) click here
Faculty at ODU with research interests in biogeochemistry are housed in the Departments of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Science (OEAS), Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Biological Sciences. Many hold joint appointments in more than one department. Click on the names of individual faculty to go to their personal web sites for more information on their research activities:

Dr. David J. Burdige (Professor, OEAS)- Biogeochemical processes in marine and estuarine sediments; marine organic geochemistry.
Dr. Gregory A. Cutter (Professor, OEAS) - Biogeochemical processes affecting trace element speciation and distributions (As, P, S, Sb, Se) in the modern and ancient ocean, including exchanges between the air-sea and sediment-water interfaces.
Dr. Frank P. Day (Professor, Biological Sciences) -Biogeochemistry of forested wetlands and barrier islands; global carbon cycle and influence of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide on terrestrial ecosystems.
Dr. Robert F. Dias (Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry) - Stable-isotope systematics of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur of individual organic compounds in environmental systems. Active areas of interest include food webs, DOM structure and reactivity, bacterial and algal contributions to marine sedimentary organic matter and petroleum systems.
Dr. Fred C. Dobbs (Professor, OEAS) - Marine microbial ecology, especially the microbiology of sediments, ships' ballast-water tanks, and symbioses between invertebrates and microorganisms.
Dr. John R. Donat (Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry) - Determinations of concentrations, speciation (chemical forms), and biogeochemical cycling of trace metals in estuarine and oceanic waters; development and application of analytical methods for trace metal analysis.
Dr. Andrew S. Gordon (Professor, Biological Sciences) - Marine microbial ecology focusing on interactions of bacteria and trace metals, and toxins of harmful algae.
Dr. Patrick G. Hatcher (Batten Endowed Chair in Physical Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry ) Environmental chemistry and geochemistry, emphasizing the origin and chemical transformations of plant-derived biopolymers in natural systems such as soils, peats, marine sediments, and oceanic waters.
Dr. Kenneth Mopper (Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry) - Carbon cycling and photochemistry in estuaries and the ocean; development of trace organic analytical techniques.
Dr. Margaret R. Mulholland (Associate Professor, OEAS) - Inorganic and organic nitrogen and carbon cycling and microbial dynamics in marine and estuarine systems
Dr. Nora Noffke (Assistant Professor, OEAS) - Biosedimentology; geobiology
Dr. Gary Schafran (Professor, Civil Engineering) - Aquatic chemistry; environmental engineering
Dr. Richard C. Zimmerman (Professor and Chair, OEAS) -  Ecological physiology of marine autotrophs; metabolic regulation of carbon and nutrient dynamics in marine ecosystems; radiative transfer and remote sensing of optically shallow waters

A slightly more "accurate' picture of the
global nitrogen cycle

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