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
A temperature-index model of stream flow at below-freezing temperatures in Taylor Valley, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2005-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Chemical characterization of dissolved organic material in Pony Lake, a saline coastal pond in Antarctica
Publication Date: 2004-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Denitrification and hydrologic transient storage in a glacial meltwater stream, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2004-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Reach-scale cation exchange controls on major ion chemistry of an Antarctic glacial meltwater stream
Publication Date: 2004-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Biogeochemical processes controlling midday ferrous iron maxima in stream waters affected by acid rock drainage
Publication Date: 2004-07-01
Type: Journal Article
Inorganic N and P dynamics of Antarctic glacial meltwater streams as controlled by hyporheic exchange and benthic autotrophic communities
Publication Date: 2004-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Changes in fulvic acid redox state through the oxycline of a permanently ice-covered Antarctic lake
Publication Date: 2004-03-01
Type: Journal Article
The landscape continuum: A model for high-elevation ecosystems
Publication Date: 2004-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Conservative and reactive solute transport in constructed wetlands
Publication Date: 2004-01-27
Type: Journal Article
Characterization of DOM as a function of MW by fluorescence EEM and HPLC-SEC using UVA, DOC, and fluorescence detection
Publication Date: 2003-10-01
Type: Journal Article
Abandoned mines, mountain sports, and climate variability: Implications for the Colorado tourism economy
Publication Date: 2003-09-23
Type: Journal Article
Modeling hyporheic zone processes - Preface
Publication Date: 2003-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Sources and chemical character of dissolved organic carbon across an alpine/subalpine ecotone, Green Lakes Valley, Colorado Front Range, United States
Publication Date: 2003-07-29
Type: Journal Article
Determining long time-scale hyporheic zone flow paths in Antarctic streams
Publication Date: 2003-06-30
Type: Journal Article
Direct and indirect effects of mine drainage on bacterial processes in mountain streams
Publication Date: 2003-06-01
Type: Journal Article
Surface glaciochemistry of Taylor Valley, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica and its relationship to stream chemistry
Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Climate and hydrologic variations and implications for lake and stream ecological response in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Type: Chapter
Trace organic moieties of dissolved organic material in natural waters
Type: Chapter
Climate and hydrologic variations and implications for lake and stream ecological response in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Type: Chapter
Weathering reactions and hyporheic exchange controls on stream water chemistry in a glacial meltwater stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys
Publication Date: 2002-12-07
Type: Journal Article
Fungal communities and biomass in mountain streams affected by mine drainage
Publication Date: 2002-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Seasonal variability of metals transport through a wetland impacted by mine drainage in the Rocky Mountains
Publication Date: 2002-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Effects of stress from mine drainage on diversity, biomass, and function of primary producers in mountain streams
Publication Date: 2002-09-01
Type: Journal Article
Spectrofluorescence of sediment humic substances and historical changes of lacustrine organic matter provenance in response to atmospheric nutrient enrichment
Publication Date: 2002-08-01
Type: Journal Article
Climate change - Recent temperature trends in the Antarctic
Publication Date: 2002-07-18
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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