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
The life aquatic in high relief: shifts in the physical and biological characteristics of alpine lakes along an elevation gradient in the Rocky Mountains, USA
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Type: Journal Article
The Hydroecology of an Ephemeral Wetland in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Wlostowski AN; Schulte NO; Adams BJ; Ball BA; Esposito RMM; Gooseff MN; Lyons WB; Nielsen UN; Virginia RA; Wall DH...
- Wlostowski AN
- Schulte NO
- Adams BJ
- Ball BA
- Esposito RMM
- Gooseff MN
- Lyons WB
- Nielsen UN
- Virginia RA
- Wall DH
Publication Date: 2019-12-14
Type: Journal Article
Using Humic Fractions to Understand Natural Organic Matter Processes in Soil and Water: Selected Studies and Applications
Publication Date: 2019-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Sabbea gen. nov., a new diatom genus (Bacillariophyta) from continental Antarctica
Bishop J; Kopalova K; Darling JP; Schulte NO; Kohler J; McMinn A; Spaulding SA; Mcknight DM; Van De Vijver B...
- Bishop J
- Kopalova K
- Darling JP
- Schulte NO
- Kohler J
- McMinn A
- Spaulding SA
- Mcknight DM
- Van De Vijver B
Publication Date: 2019-09-23
Type: Journal Article
Diurnal chemistry of two contrasting stream types, Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valley Region, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2019-07-21
Type: Conference Proceeding
Environmental and Agricultural Relevance of Humic Fractions Extracted by Alkali from Soils and Natural Waters
Olk DC; Bloom PR; Perdue EM; McKnight DM; Chen Y; Farenhorst A; Senesi N; Chin Y-P; Schmitt-Kopplin P; Hertkorn N...
- Olk DC
- Bloom PR
- Perdue EM
- McKnight DM
- Chen Y
- Farenhorst A
- Senesi N
- Chin Y-P
- Schmitt-Kopplin P
- Hertkorn N
Publication Date: 2019-03-01
Type: Journal Article
Transit Times and Rapid Chemical Equilibrium Explain Chemostasis in Glacial Meltwater Streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2018-12-28
Type: Journal Article
Aeolian Material Transport and Its Role in Landscape Connectivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2018-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Spatial and temporal patterns of microbial mats and associated invertebrates along an Antarctic stream
Publication Date: 2018-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Catch and release: Hyporheic retention and mineralization of N-fixing Nostoc sustains downstream microbial mat biomass in two polar desert streams
Publication Date: 2018-08-01
Type: Journal Article
Global change-driven effects on dissolved organic matter composition: Implications for food webs of northern lakes
Creed IF; Bergstrom A-K; Trick CG; Grimm NB; Hessen DO; Karlsson J; Kidd KA; Kritzberg E; McKnight DM; Freeman EC...
- Creed IF
- Bergstrom A-K
- Trick CG
- Grimm NB
- Hessen DO
- Karlsson J
- Kidd KA
- Kritzberg E
- McKnight DM
- Freeman EC
Publication Date: 2018-08-01
Type: Journal Article
Relationship between dissolved organic matter quality and microbial community composition across polar glacial environments
Publication Date: 2018-07-01
Type: Journal Article
BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene
Dornelas M; Antao LH; Moyes F; Bates AE; Magurran AE; Adam D; Akhmetzhanova AA; Appeltans W; Arcos JM; Arnold H...
- Dornelas M
- Antao LH
- Moyes F
- Bates AE
- Magurran AE
- Adam D
- Akhmetzhanova AA
- Appeltans W
- Arcos JM
- Arnold H
Publication Date: 2018-07-01
Type: Journal Article
A Tribute to George R. Aiken
Publication Date: 2018-04-17
Type: Journal Article
Oligotrophic wetland sediments susceptible to shifts in microbiomes and mercury cycling with dissolved organic matter addition
Publication Date: 2018-04-03
Type: Journal Article
Near-Surface Refractory Black Carbon Observations in the Atmosphere and Snow in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, and Potential Impacts of Foehn Winds
Publication Date: 2018-03-16
Type: Journal Article
Long-Term Experimental Acidification Drives Watershed Scale Shift in Dissolved Organic Matter Composition and Flux
Publication Date: 2018-03-06
Type: Journal Article
Dissolved fulvic acids from a high arsenic aquifer shuttle electrons to enhance microbial iron reduction
Publication Date: 2018-02-15
Type: Journal Article
High Pressure Size Exclusion Chromatography (HPSEC) Determination of Dissolved Organic Matter Molecular Weight Revisited: Accounting for Changes in Stationary Phases, Analytical Standards, and Isolation Methods
Publication Date: 2018-01-16
Type: Journal Article
Thermal autecology describes the occurrence patterns of four benthic diatoms in McMurdo Dry Valley streams
Publication Date: 2017-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Decadal ecosystem response to an anomalous melt season in a polar desert in Antarctica
Gooseff MN; Barrett JE; Adams BJ; Doran PT; Fountain AG; Lyons WB; McKnight DM; Priscu JC; Sokol ER; Takacs-Vesbach C...
- Gooseff MN
- Barrett JE
- Adams BJ
- Doran PT
- Fountain AG
- Lyons WB
- McKnight DM
- Priscu JC
- Sokol ER
- Takacs-Vesbach C
Publication Date: 2017-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Concentration-discharge relationships during an extreme event: Contrasting behavior of solutes and changes to chemical quality of dissolved organic material in the Boulder Creek Watershed during the September 2013 flood
Publication Date: 2017-07-01
Type: Journal Article
Dissolved black carbon in the global cryosphere: Concentrations and chemical signatures
Publication Date: 2017-06-28
Type: Journal Article
Freshwater diatom biogeography and the genus Luticola: an extreme case of endemism in Antarctica
Publication Date: 2017-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Microbial formation of labile organic carbon in Antarctic glacial environments
Publication Date: 2017-05-01
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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