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
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
Effects of nutrient enrichment on phytoplankton in an alpine lake, Colorado, USA
Publication Date: 2008-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Chemical characteristics of fulvic acids from Arctic surface waters: Microbial contributions and photochemical transformations
Publication Date: 2007-12-07
Type: Journal Article
Reactivation of a cryptobiotic stream ecosystem in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A long-term geomorphological experiment
Publication Date: 2007-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Simulation of DOM fluxes in a seasonal floodplain of the Okavango Delta, Botswana
Publication Date: 2007-07-10
Type: Journal Article
Effects of acid rock drainage on stocked rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): An in-situ, caged fish experiment
Publication Date: 2007-07-01
Type: Journal Article
Probing the oxidation-reduction properties of terrestrially and microbially derived dissolved organic matter
Publication Date: 2007-06-15
Type: Journal Article
Sources and fates of dissolved organic carbon in lakes as determined by whole-lake carbon isotope additions
Publication Date: 2007-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Photooxidation of wetland and riverine dissolved organic matter: altered copper complexation and organic composition
Publication Date: 2007-03-01
Type: Journal Article
Photochemical control of copper complexation by dissolved organic matter in Rocky Mountain streams, Colorado
Publication Date: 2007-03-01
Type: Journal Article
Biogeochemical stoichiometry of Antarctic Dry Valley ecosystems
Barrett JE; Virginia RA; Lyons WB; McKnight DM; Priscu JC; Doran PT; Fountain AG; Wall DH; Moorhead DL...
- Barrett JE
- Virginia RA
- Lyons WB
- McKnight DM
- Priscu JC
- Doran PT
- Fountain AG
- Wall DH
- Moorhead DL
Publication Date: 2007-02-07
Type: Journal Article
Chemical characterization of DOM in channels of a seasonal wetland
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Characterization of a nitrogen-rich fulvic acid and its precursor algae from solid state NMR
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Hyporheic exchange and fulvic acid redox reactions in an alpine stream/wetland ecosystem, Colorado front range
Publication Date: 2006-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Antarctic climate cooling and response of diatoms in glacial meltwater streams
Publication Date: 2006-04-15
Type: Journal Article
A stable isotopic investigation of a polar desert hydrologic system, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2006-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Spatial and temporal active layer dynamics along three glacial meltwater streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2006-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Experimental investigations into processes controlling stream and hyporheic temperatures, Fryxell Basin, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2006-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Trophic Dynamics
Type: Chapter
The Lost Seal
Type: Book
Fluorescence spectroscopy reveals ubiquitous presence of oxidized and reduced quinones in dissolved organic matter
Publication Date: 2005-11-01
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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