Breadcrumb

Bio
My research focuses on interactions between hydrologic, chemical and biological processes in controlling the dynamics in aquatic ecosystems.
This research is carried out through field-scale experiments, modeling, and laboratory characterization of natural substrates. Conducts research focusing on interactions between freshwater biota, trace metals, and natural organic material in diverse freshwater environments, including lakes and streams in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica.
Main field sites are located in the Rocky Mountains and in the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica, and include pristine and stressed ecosystems. A co-principal investigator in the McMurdo Dry Valley LTER and in the Niwot Ridge LTER.
Develops interactions with state and local groups involved in mine drainage and watershed issues in the Rocky Mountains.
CU Connections interview "Five Questions for Diane McKnight."
Education
- PhD: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1979
Awards
- Distinguished Professor, University of Colorado System, 2021
- Robert E. Horton Medal, American Geophysical Union, 2021
- AEESP Distinguished Lecturer, Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors Foundation, 2019
- John Dalton Medal, European Geosciences Union, 2015
- Distinguished Research Lectureship, CU Boulder, 2015
- Hydrology Section Award, American Geophysical Union, 2014
- Elected member, National Academy of Engineering, 2012
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2009
- Fellow, American Geophysical Union, 2004
- Meritorious Service Award, U.S. Geological Survey, 1995
Research
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Publications
Recent publications
Identification of next-generation International Humic Substances Society reference materials for advancing the understanding of the role of natural organic matter in the Anthropocene
Chin Y-P; McKnight DM; D’Andrilli J; Brooks N; Cawley K; Guerard J; Perdue EM; Stedmon CA; Tratnyek PG; Westerhoff P...
- Chin Y-P
- McKnight DM
- D’Andrilli J
- Brooks N
- Cawley K
- Guerard J
- Perdue EM
- Stedmon CA
- Tratnyek PG
- Westerhoff P
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Antarctic lake phytoplankton and bacteria from near-surface waters exhibit high sensitivity to climate-driven disturbance
Publication Date: 2022-07-20
Type: Journal Article
Dissolved Organic Carbon Chemostasis in Antarctic Polar Desert Streams
Publication Date: 2022-07-01
Type: Journal Article
Whither Winter: The Altered Role of Winter for Freshwaters as the Climate Changes
Publication Date: 2022-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Long-term stream hydrology and meteorology of a Polar Desert, the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2022-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Long-term ecological research and the COVID-19 anthropause: A window to understanding social-ecological disturbance
Gaiser EE; Kominoski JS; McKnight DM; Bahlai CA; Cheng C; Record S; Wollheim WM; Christianson KR; Downs MR; Hawman PA...
- Gaiser EE
- Kominoski JS
- McKnight DM
- Bahlai CA
- Cheng C
- Record S
- Wollheim WM
- Christianson KR
- Downs MR
- Hawman PA
Publication Date: 2022-04-01
Type: Journal Article
Blowin' in the wind: Dispersal, structure, and metacommunity dynamics of aeolian diatoms in the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2021-12-27
Type: Journal Article
Effects of hydrologic variability and remedial actions on first flush and metal loading from streams draining the Silverton caldera, 1992-2014
Publication Date: 2021-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Using an unmanned aerial vehicle water sampler to gather data in a pit-lake mining environment to assess closure and monitoring
Publication Date: 2021-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Supporting Simultaneous Air Revitalization and Thermal Control in a Crewed Habitat With Temperate Chlorella vulgaris and Eurythermic Antarctic Chlorophyta
Publication Date: 2021-08-24
Type: Journal Article
Enhanced Rare Earth Element Mobilization in a Mountain Watershed of the Colorado Mineral Belt with Concomitant Detection in Aquatic Biota: Increasing Climate Change-Driven Degradation to Water Quality
Publication Date: 2021-08-04
Type: Journal Article
Phytoplankton Drivers of Dissolved Organic Material Production in Colorado Reservoirs and the Formation of Disinfection By-Products
Publication Date: 2021-07-30
Type: Journal Article
From the Heroic Age to today: What diatoms from Shackleton's Nimrod expedition can tell us about the ecological trajectory of Antarctic ponds
Publication Date: 2021-07-02
Type: Journal Article
The Role of Hyporheic Connectivity in Determining Nitrogen Availability: Insights From an Intermittent Antarctic Stream
Publication Date: 2021-05-01
Type: Journal Article
Connectivity: insights from the US Long Term Ecological Research Network
Iwaniec DM; Gooseff M; Suding KN; Samuel Johnson D; Reed DC; Peters DPC; Adams B; Barrett JE; Bestelmeyer BT; Castorani ...
- Iwaniec DM
- Gooseff M
- Suding KN
- Samuel Johnson D
- Reed DC
- Peters DPC
- Adams B
- Barrett JE
- Bestelmeyer BT
- Castorani MCN
Publication Date: 2021-05-01
Type: Journal Article
Diatoms in Hyporheic Sediments Trace Organic Matter Retention and Processing in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2021-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Geochemistry of contrasting stream types, Taylor Valley, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2021-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Geochemistry of aeolian material from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: Insights into Southern Hemisphere dust sources
Publication Date: 2020-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Evaluating Alternative Metacommunity Hypotheses for Diatoms in the McMurdo Dry Valleys Using Simulations and Remote Sensing Data
Publication Date: 2020-09-25
Type: Journal Article
Biofuel Burning Influences Refractory Black Carbon Concentrations in Seasonal Snow at Lower Elevations of the Dudh Koshi River Basin of Nepal
Publication Date: 2020-09-16
Type: Journal Article
Silicon Isotopic Composition of Dry and Wet-Based Glaciers in Antarctica
Hatton JE; Hendry KR; Hirst C; Opfergelt S; Henkel S; Silva-Busso A; Welch SA; Wadham JL; Lyons WB; Bagshaw E...
- Hatton JE
- Hendry KR
- Hirst C
- Opfergelt S
- Henkel S
- Silva-Busso A
- Welch SA
- Wadham JL
- Lyons WB
- Bagshaw E
Publication Date: 2020-07-14
Type: Journal Article
Silicon Isotopes Reveal a Non-glacial Source of Silicon to Crescent Stream, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2020-06-26
Type: Journal Article
Dynamic changes in dissolved organic matter composition in a Mountain Lake under ice cover and relationships to changes in nutrient cycling and phytoplankton community composition
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Experimental effects of elevated temperature and nitrogen deposition on high-elevation aquatic communities
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Effects of Spatial Variability and Relic DNA Removal on the Detection of Temporal Dynamics in Soil Microbial Communities
Carini P; Delgado-Baquerizo M; Hinckley E-LS; Holland-Moritz H; Brewer TE; Rue G; Vanderburgh C; McKnight D; Fierer N...
- Carini P
- Delgado-Baquerizo M
- Hinckley E-LS
- Holland-Moritz H
- Brewer TE
- Rue G
- Vanderburgh C
- McKnight D
- Fierer N
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Pages
Teaching
Current courses
- CVEN 5323: Applied Stream Ecology
Past courses
- CVEN 3434: Introduction to Applied Ecology
- CVEN 3454: Water Chemistry
- CVEN 5454: Environmental Engineering Chemistry
- CVEN 6404: Advanced Aquatic Chemistry
Current students
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