Diane M. McKnight

Distinguished Professor •
• Limnology • Biogeochemistry of lakes and streams

Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering • Environmental Studies • Hydrologic Sciences Graduate Program

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

Comparing Properties Affecting Transport, Fate, Effects, and Response

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines A Comparative Study of Environmental Fate, Effects, and Response Preface

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines A Comparative Study of Environmental Fate, Effects, and Response Introduction

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Ancient low-molecular-weight organic acids in permafrost fuel rapid carbon dioxide production upon thaw

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Drake TW; Wickland KP; Spencer RGM; McKnight DM; Striegl RG

Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA
Publication Date: 2015-11-10
Type: Journal Article

An overview of research from a high elevation landscape: the Niwot Ridge, Colorado Long Term Ecological Research programme

CU Boulder Authors: Bowman, Bill; McKnight, Diane Marie; Suding, Katharine Nash

All Authors: Williams MW; Seastedt TR; Bowman WD; McKnight DM; Suding KN

Published in: Plant Ecology and Diversity
Publication Date: 2015-11-02
Type: Journal Article

Children's book series and associated curricula support elementary education and outreach in water resources

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; Ray, Chris

All Authors: Ray C; McKnight DM; Bidwell MD; Fourment T; Pritz CF; Rinehart AH

Published in: Plant Ecology and Diversity
Publication Date: 2015-11-02
Type: Journal Article

A slide down a slippery slope - alpine ecosystem responses to nitrogen deposition

CU Boulder Authors: Bowman, Bill; McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Bowman WD; Nemergut DR; McKnight DM; Miller MP; Williams MW

Published in: Plant Ecology and Diversity
Publication Date: 2015-11-02
Type: Journal Article

Limnology of the Green Lakes Valley: phytoplankton ecology and dissolved organic matter biogeochemistry at a long-term ecological research site

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Miller MP; McKnight DM

Published in: Plant Ecology and Diversity
Publication Date: 2015-11-02
Type: Journal Article

Antarctic streams as a potential source of iron for the Southern Ocean

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; Welch, Kathleen Ann

All Authors: Lyons WB; Dailey KR; Welch KA; Deuerling KM; Welch SA; McKnight DM

Published in: Geology (Boulder)
Publication Date: 2015-11-01
Type: Journal Article

Dissolved Organic Matter Quality in a Shallow Aquifer of Bangladesh: Implications for Arsenic Mobility

CU Boulder Authors: Bilinski, Teresa; McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors:

Mladenov N; Zheng Y; Simone B; Bilinski TM; McKnight DM; Nemergut D; Radloff KA; Rahman MM; Ahmed KM...

Mladenov N
Zheng Y
Simone B
Bilinski TM
McKnight DM
Nemergut D
Radloff KA
Rahman MM
Ahmed KM

Published in: Environmental Science and Technology (Washington)
Publication Date: 2015-09-15
Type: Journal Article

The river as a chemostat: fresh perspectives on dissolved organic matter flowing down the river continuum

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors:

Creed IF; McKnight DM; Pellerin BA; Green MB; Bergamaschi BA; Aiken GR; Burns DA; Findlay SEG; Shanley JB; Striegl RG...

Creed IF
McKnight DM
Pellerin BA
Green MB
Bergamaschi BA
Aiken GR
Burns DA
Findlay SEG
Shanley JB
Striegl RG

Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Publication Date: 2015-08-01
Type: Journal Article

Recovery of Antarctic stream epilithon from simulated scouring events

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; Gooseff, Michael N

All Authors: Kohler TJ; Chatfield E; Gooseff MN; Barrett JE; Mcknight DM

Published in: Antarctic Science
Publication Date: 2015-08-01
Type: Journal Article

Potential for real-time understanding of coupled hydrologic and biogeochemical processes in stream ecosystems: Future integration of telemetered data with process models for glacial meltwater streams

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; Gooseff, Michael N; Neupauer, Roseanna M.

All Authors:

McKnight DM; Cozzetto K; Cullis JDS; Gooseff MN; Jaros C; Koch JC; Lyons WB; Neupauer R; Wlostowski A...

McKnight DM
Cozzetto K
Cullis JDS
Gooseff MN
Jaros C
Koch JC
Lyons WB
Neupauer R
Wlostowski A

Published in: Water Resources Research
Publication Date: 2015-08-01
Type: Journal Article

Hydrodynamic control of benthic mats of Didymosphenia geminata at the reach scale

CU Boulder Authors: Spaulding, Sarah A; McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Cullis JDS; McKnight DM; Spaulding SA

Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Publication Date: 2015-06-01
Type: Journal Article

Pressure-driven, shoreline currents in a perennially ice-covered, pro-glacial lake in Antarctica, identified from a LiCl tracer injected into a pro-glacial stream

CU Boulder Authors: Welch, Kathleen Ann; McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Castendyk D; McKnight D; Welch K; Niebuhr S; Jaros C

Published in: Hydrological Processes
Publication Date: 2015-04-30
Type: Journal Article

Influence of Leaching Solution and Catchment Location on the Fluorescence of Water-Soluble Organic Matter

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; Barnard, Holly Rene

All Authors: Gabor RS; Burns MA; Lee RH; Elg JB; Kemper CJ; Barnard HR; McKnight DM

Published in: Environmental Science and Technology (Washington)
Publication Date: 2015-04-07
Type: Journal Article

Transformations in autochthonous DOM: An Antarctic supraglacial case study

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; SanClements, Michael

All Authors: Smith H; Wei-Haas M; SanClements M; D'Andrilli J; Foreman C; Chin Y-P; McKnight D

Published in: ACS National Meeting Book of Abstracts
Publication Date: 2015-03-22
Type: Conference Proceeding

Life in the Main Channel: Long-Term Hydrologic Control of Microbial Mat Abundance in McMurdo Dry Valley Streams, Antarctica

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Kohler TJ; Stanish LF; Crisp SW; Koch JC; Liptzin D; Baeseman JL; McKnight DM

Published in: Ecosystems
Publication Date: 2015-03-01
Type: Journal Article

Fractionation of Fulvic Acid by Iron and Aluminum Oxides-Influence on Copper Toxicity to Ceriodaphnia dubia

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Smith KS; Ranville JF; Lesher EK; Diedrich DJ; McKnight DM; Sofield RM

Published in: Environmental Science and Technology (Washington)
Publication Date: 2014-10-21
Type: Journal Article

Abiotic and biotic factors influencing the mobility of arsenic in groundwater of a through-flow island in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors:

Mladenov N; Wolski P; Hettiarachchi GM; Murray-Hudson M; Enriquez H; Damaraju S; Galkaduwa MB; McKnight DM; Masamba W...

Mladenov N
Wolski P
Hettiarachchi GM
Murray-Hudson M
Enriquez H
Damaraju S
Galkaduwa MB
McKnight DM
Masamba W

Published in: Journal of Hydrology
Publication Date: 2014-10-10
Type: Journal Article

Morning, noon, and night: DOM photochemistry and understanding the biogeochemical pulse of river ecosystems

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D

Published in: ACS National Meeting Book of Abstracts
Publication Date: 2014-08-10
Type: Conference Proceeding

From the litter layer to the saprolite: Chemical changes in water-soluble soil organic matter and their correlation to microbial community composition

CU Boulder Authors: Anderson, Suzanne Prestrud; McKnight, Diane Marie; Fierer, Noah

All Authors: Gabor RS; Eilers K; McKnight DM; Fierer N; Anderson SP

Published in: Soil Biology and Biochemistry
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Type: Journal Article

Fluorescence Indices and Their Interpretation

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Gabor RS; Baker A; McKnight DM; Miller MP

Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Type: Chapter

Diel flow pulses drive particulate organic matter transport from microbial mats in a glacial meltwater stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Cullis JDS; Stanish LF; McKnight DM

Published in: Water Resources Research
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Type: Journal Article

Characterization of IHSS Pony Lake fulvic acid dissolved organic matter by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and fluorescence spectroscopy

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: D'Andrilli J; Foreman CM; Marshall AG; McKnight DM

Published in: Organic Geochemistry
Publication Date: 2013-12-01
Type: Journal Article

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

Lane Allen

MS Student •
• Stream ecology • Dissolved organic matter

Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering

Organic Matter Spectroscopy Lab Advisor: Diane McKnight

lane.allen@colorado.edu

Jared Collins

Graduate Student

Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering

Organic Matter Spectroscopy Lab Advisor: Diane McKnight Focusing on toxic blue-green algal bloom detection using remote sensing of RGB bands to model total cyanobacteria growth in the water column in urban reservoirs.

jared.collins-1@colorado.edu

Mia Vanderwilt

MS Student • Graduate Research Assistant •
• Polar microbiology • Snow hydrology • Remote sensing of the cryosphere

Environmental Studies • Hydrologic Sciences Graduate Program

Organic Matter Spectroscopy Lab Advisor: Diane McKnight Bio Education BS: Georgetown University, 2019

mia.vanderwilt@colorado.edu

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Outreach

News

Diane McKnight in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica.

These freeze-drying algae can awaken from cryostasis, could help spaceflights go farther (AGU)

Dec. 8, 2022

Algal mats survive extreme conditions in Antarctica by entering a freeze-dried state. Led by Diane McKnight, researchers collected the green algae that survive there and grew them in the lab to assess their applications for spaceflight.

Snow covers Deer Creek, near the the headwaters of the Snake River on Jan. 29, 2022, in Summit County. (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun)

Climate change is eroding work to clean up the Snake River. Is snowmaking making it worse? (Colorado Sun)

Feb. 16, 2022

A warmer, drier alpine is impeding water quality for streams and rivers used for snowmaking, like the Snake River that runs through Keystone. Diane McKnight is interviewed in this Colorado Sun story.

CU Boulder campus in fall colors with flatirons behind

New class of CU Distinguished Professors: Leaders in research, education, service (CU Connections)

Nov. 11, 2021

University’s highest faculty honor awarded to 11 professors for 2021, including INSTAARs Diane McKnight and Giff Miller.

Two mountain streams come together, one with rusty red acid rock drainage

More metals found in Summit County river due to climate change, scientists say (9NEWS)

Nov. 10, 2021

A first-of-its-kind study by Garrett Rue and Diane McKnight suggests that warmer weather and less snowpack are causing higher concentrations of rare earth elements in the river.

CU Boulder campus building with fall tree colors

Six CU Boulder faculty members become distinguished professors (CU Boulder Today)

Nov. 5, 2021

Diane McKnight and Giff Miller are among those added to the roster of distinguished professors, the highest honor bestowed by the CU System. The award recognizes faculty who demonstrate exemplary performance in research or creative work; a record of excellence in promoting learning and student attainment of knowledge and skills; and outstanding service to the profession, the university and its affiliates.

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Diane M. McKnight

Bio

Education

Awards

Research

Publications

Comparing Properties Affecting Transport, Fate, Effects, and Response

Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines A Comparative Study of Environmental Fate, Effects, and Response Preface

Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines A Comparative Study of Environmental Fate, Effects, and Response Introduction

Transformations in autochthonous DOM: An Antarctic supraglacial case study

Morning, noon, and night: DOM photochemistry and understanding the biogeochemical pulse of river ecosystems

Fluorescence Indices and Their Interpretation

Pages

Teaching

Current courses

Past courses

Current students

Outreach

News