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
15N and 13C{14N} NMR investigation of the major nitrogen-containing segment in an aquatic fulvic acid: Evidence for a hydantoin derivative
Publication Date: 2011-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Hydrologic processes influence diatom community composition in Dry Valley streams
Publication Date: 2011-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Hydrological Connectivity of the Landscape of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2011-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Redox character of soil humic material suggests a role in microbial weathering of bedrock surfaces
Publication Date: 2011-08-28
Type: Journal Article
When a habitat freezes solid: microorganisms over-winter within the ice column of a coastal Antarctic lake
Foreman CM; Dieser M; Greenwood M; Cory RM; Laybourn-Parry J; Lisle JT; Jaros C; Miller PL; Chin Y-P; McKnight DM...
- Foreman CM
- Dieser M
- Greenwood M
- Cory RM
- Laybourn-Parry J
- Lisle JT
- Jaros C
- Miller PL
- Chin Y-P
- McKnight DM
Publication Date: 2011-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Simulating unsteady flow, anabranching, and hyporheic dynamics in a glacial meltwater stream using a coupled surface water routing and groundwater flow model
Publication Date: 2011-05-21
Type: Journal Article
Evaluating the link between nutrient loadings, algal activity, and formation of disinfection byproducts in watersheds
Publication Date: 2011-03-27
Type: Journal Article
Spectral Methods to Advance Understanding of Dissolved Organic Carbon Dynamics in Forested Catchments
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Type: Chapter
Spatial variations in the geochemistry of glacial meltwater streams in the Taylor Valley, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2010-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Effects of short-term drying and irrigation on CO2 and CH4 production and emission from mesocosms of a northern bog and an alpine fen
Publication Date: 2010-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Overcoming "ecophobia": fostering environmental empathy through narrative in children's science literature
Publication Date: 2010-08-01
Type: Journal Article
Communicating with the public: opportunities and rewards for individual ecologists
Pace ML; Hampton SE; Limburg KE; Bennett EM; Cook EM; Davis AE; Grove JM; Kaneshiro KY; LaDeau SL; Likens GE...
- Pace ML
- Hampton SE
- Limburg KE
- Bennett EM
- Cook EM
- Davis AE
- Grove JM
- Kaneshiro KY
- LaDeau SL
- Likens GE
Publication Date: 2010-08-01
Type: Journal Article
New light on a dark subject: comment
Publication Date: 2010-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valley stream ecosystems as analogue to fluvial systems on Mars
Type: Chapter
Life in Antarctic Deserts and other Cold Dry Environments
Type: Book
Physiochemical properties influencing biomass abundance and primary production in Lake Hoare, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2010-04-24
Type: Journal Article
Comparison of seasonal changes in fluorescent dissolved organic matter among aquatic lake and stream sites in the Green Lakes Valley
Publication Date: 2010-03-23
Type: Journal Article
Photochemistry of dissolved organic material and its role in aquatic ecosystems
Publication Date: 2010-03-21
Type: Journal Article
Influence of organic-matter fractionation by natural iron nanoparticles on copper speciation and aquatic copper toxicity
Publication Date: 2010-03-21
Type: Journal Article
Effect of instrument-specific response on the analysis of fulvic acid fluorescence spectra
Publication Date: 2010-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Effect of unsteady flow on nitrate loss in an oligotrophic, glacial meltwater stream
Publication Date: 2010-01-08
Type: Journal Article
Dissolved Organic Matter Sources and Consequences for Iron and Arsenic Mobilization in Bangladesh Aquifers
Mladenov N; Zheng Y; Miller MP; Nemergut DR; Legg T; Simone B; Hageman C; Rahman MM; Ahmed KM; McKnight DM...
- Mladenov N
- Zheng Y
- Miller MP
- Nemergut DR
- Legg T
- Simone B
- Hageman C
- Rahman MM
- Ahmed KM
- McKnight DM
Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Effects of Short-Term Drying and Irrigation on Electron Flow in Mesocosms of a Northern Bog and an Alpine Fen
Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Diatoms as indicators of environmental change in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic freshwaters
Type: Chapter
Analogue stream hydrologic and ecosystem functions
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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