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
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
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
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
Diatoms as indicators of environmental change in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic freshwaters
Type: Chapter
Analogue stream hydrologic and ecosystem functions
Type: Chapter
Effect of instrument-specific response on the analysis of fulvic acid fluorescence spectra
Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Type: Journal Article
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INVERTEBRATE HABITAT PREFERENCE, STREAM FLOW AND DIEL TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATION IN AN ANTARCTIC MELTWATER STREAM.
Publication Date: 2009-12-01
Type: Journal Article
A model of degradation and production of three pools of dissolved organic matter in an alpine lake
Publication Date: 2009-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Lakes and reservoirs as regulators of carbon cycling and climate
Tranvik LJ; Downing JA; Cotner JB; Loiselle SA; Striegl RG; Ballatore TJ; Dillon P; Finlay K; Fortino K; Knoll LB...
- Tranvik LJ
- Downing JA
- Cotner JB
- Loiselle SA
- Striegl RG
- Ballatore TJ
- Dillon P
- Finlay K
- Fortino K
- Knoll LB
Publication Date: 2009-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Alpine lake optical properties as sentinels of dust deposition and global change
Publication Date: 2009-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Characterizing chlorine oxidation of dissolved organic matter and disinfection by-product formation with fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis
Publication Date: 2009-10-08
Type: Journal Article
Factors controlling streambed coverage of Didymosphenia geminata in two regulated streams in the Colorado Front Range
Publication Date: 2009-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Life in the ice cover and underlying cold brines of Lake Vida, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2009-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Production of microbially-derived fulvic acid from photolysis of quinone-containing extracellular products of phytoplankton
Publication Date: 2009-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Response of the Phytoplankton Community in an Alpine Lake to Drought Conditions: Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Range, USA
Publication Date: 2009-05-01
Type: Journal Article
Spatial and temporal variations in DOM composition in ecosystems: The importance of long-term monitoring of optical properties
Publication Date: 2008-12-19
Type: Journal Article
Inland diatoms from the McMurdo Dry Valleys and James Ross Island, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2008-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Hydrologic response to extreme warm and cold summers in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, East Antarctica
Publication Date: 2008-10-01
Type: Journal Article
High-latitude rivers and streams
Type: Chapter
High Latitude Rivers and Streams
Type: Chapter
Dissolved organic matter accumulation, reactivity, and redox state in ground water of a recharge wetland
Publication Date: 2008-09-01
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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