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
Concentration-discharge relationships during the recession of an extreme flood in the Boulder Creek Watershed: Patterns of lithologic solute concentrations contrast with decreases in concentration and changes in chemical quality of dissolved organic material
Publication Date: 2017-04-02
Type: Conference Proceeding
From the Antarctic to the Arctic: An expeditionary approach to the environmental chemistry and reactivity of dissolved organic matter
Publication Date: 2017-04-02
Type: Conference Proceeding
DebatesHypothesis testing in hydrology: A view from the field: The value of hydrologic hypotheses in designing field studies and interpreting the results to advance hydrology
Publication Date: 2017-03-01
Type: Journal Article
Impacts of coal dust from an active mine on the spectral reflectance of Arctic surface snow in Svalbard, Norway
Publication Date: 2017-02-16
Type: Journal Article
Biogeophysical properties of an expansive Antarctic supraglacial stream
Publication Date: 2017-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Hydrologic connectivity and implications for ecosystem processes - Lessons from naked watersheds
Publication Date: 2017-01-15
Type: Journal Article
Evidence for dispersal and habitat controls on pond diatom communities from the McMurdo Sound Region of Antarctica (vol 39, pg 2457, 2016)
Sakaeva A; Sokol ER; Kohler TJ; Stanish LF; Spaulding SA; Howkins A; Welch KA; Lyons WB; Barrett JE; McKnight DM...
- Sakaeva A
- Sokol ER
- Kohler TJ
- Stanish LF
- Spaulding SA
- Howkins A
- Welch KA
- Lyons WB
- Barrett JE
- McKnight DM
Publication Date: 2016-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Evidence for dispersal and habitat controls on pond diatom communities from the McMurdo Sound Region of Antarctica
Sakaeva A; Sokol ER; Kohler TJ; Stanish LF; Spaulding SA; Howkins A; Welch KA; Lyons WB; Barrett JE; McKnight DM...
- Sakaeva A
- Sokol ER
- Kohler TJ
- Stanish LF
- Spaulding SA
- Howkins A
- Welch KA
- Lyons WB
- Barrett JE
- McKnight DM
Publication Date: 2016-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Variation of organic matter quantity and quality in streams at Critical Zone Observatory watersheds
Miller MP; Boyer EW; McKnight DM; Brown MG; Gabor RS; Hunsaker CT; Iavorivska L; Inamdar S; Johnson DW; Kaplan LA...
- Miller MP
- Boyer EW
- McKnight DM
- Brown MG
- Gabor RS
- Hunsaker CT
- Iavorivska L
- Inamdar S
- Johnson DW
- Kaplan LA
Publication Date: 2016-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Patterns of bacterial biodiversity in the glacial meltwater streams of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Van Horn DJ; Wolf CR; Colman DR; Jiang X; Kohler TJ; McKnight DM; Stanish LF; Yazzie T; Takacs-Vesbach CD...
- Van Horn DJ
- Wolf CR
- Colman DR
- Jiang X
- Kohler TJ
- McKnight DM
- Stanish LF
- Yazzie T
- Takacs-Vesbach CD
Publication Date: 2016-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Patterns of hydrologic connectivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: a synthesis of 20years of hydrologic data
Publication Date: 2016-08-15
Type: Journal Article
Hydrological Controls on Ecosystem Dynamics in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2016-07-21
Type: Journal Article
Dissolved black carbon in Antarctic lakes: Chemical signatures of past and present sources
Publication Date: 2016-06-16
Type: Journal Article
Characterization of dissolved organic material in the interstitial brine of Lake Vida, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2016-06-15
Type: Journal Article
Dissolved organic matter transport reflects hillslope to stream connectivity during snowmelt in a montane catchment
Publication Date: 2016-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Climate regulates alpine lake ice cover phenology and aquatic ecosystem structure
Publication Date: 2016-05-28
Type: Journal Article
Nutrient treatments alter microbial mat colonization in two glacial meltwater streams from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2016-04-01
Type: Journal Article
Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines A Comparative Study of Environmental Fate, Effects, and Response Summary
Type: Chapter
Regulations Governing Spill Response Planning
Type: Chapter
Recommendations
Type: Chapter
Environmental Processes, Behavior, and Toxicity of Diluted Bitumen
Type: Chapter
Chemical and Physical Properties of Crude Oils
Type: Chapter
Spill Response Planning and Implementation
Type: Chapter
Stream biogeochemical and suspended sediment responses to permafrost degradation in stream banks in Taylor Valley, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Solute and sediment fluxes from rivers and streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Type: Chapter
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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