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Organic Matter Spectroscopy Lab

Image: Boulder Reservoir by Richard Saxon

We measure the amount and character of dissolved organic matter from diverse ecosystems, especially aquatic ones. We often combine our lab data with field-scale experiments and modeling to understand of the interactions between hydrologic, chemical and biological processes in controlling the dynamics of these systems.

Diane McKnight
Director

Natalie Aranda
Grad student

Jared Collins
Grad student

Lauren Magliozzi
Grad student

Tanya Petach
Grad student

Mia Vanderwilt
Grad student

Alumni

Nayoung Hur, MS 2022
Garrett Rue, PhD 2019
Alia Lauren Khan, NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Maggie Burns, MA 2014 in Geography; now Hydrologist
Rachel Gabor, PhD 2013 in Environmental Studies
Jessica Ebert, MS 2012

Contact & services

Diane McKnight

Major equipment includes

Shimadzu TOC analyzer
Antec 9000 DON analyzer
Agilent 8453 spectrophotometer
FluroMax2 fluorometer
fractionation columns
Ulter-filtration

Josh Darling kneels to sample algal mats from a rocky meltwater stream in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica

Josh Darling kneels to sample algal mats from a rocky meltwater stream near Canada Glacier in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica

Researcher in shorts and a backpack stands on the grassy shore of an alpine lake within a rocky catchment

Researcher on the grassy shoreline of an alpine lake in the Rocky Mountains.

News

Diane McKnight in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica.

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

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. Read more

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)

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. Read more

CU Boulder campus in fall colors with flatirons behind

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

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

More institute news for the Organic Matter Spectroscopy Lab

Publications

Publications for McKnight are shown below

Click to view publications

Effects of Spatial Variability and Relic DNA Removal on the Detection of Temporal Dynamics in Soil Microbial Communities

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; VanderBurgh, Caihong; Hinckley, Eve-Lyn; Fierer, Noah

All Authors:

Carini P; Delgado-Baquerizo M; Hinckley E-LS; Holland-Moritz H; Brewer TE; Rue G; Vanderburgh C; McKnight D; Fierer N...

Carini P
Delgado-Baquerizo M
Hinckley E-LS
Holland-Moritz H
Brewer TE
Rue G
Vanderburgh C
McKnight D
Fierer N

Published in: mBio
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Type: Journal Article

The life aquatic in high relief: shifts in the physical and biological characteristics of alpine lakes along an elevation gradient in the Rocky Mountains, USA

CU Boulder Authors: Johnson, Pieter; McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Loria KA; Mcknight D; Ragar DM; Johnson PTJ

Published in: Aquatic Sciences: research across boundaries
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Type: Journal Article

The Hydroecology of an Ephemeral Wetland in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

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

All Authors:

Wlostowski AN; Schulte NO; Adams BJ; Ball BA; Esposito RMM; Gooseff MN; Lyons WB; Nielsen UN; Virginia RA; Wall DH...

Wlostowski AN
Schulte NO
Adams BJ
Ball BA
Esposito RMM
Gooseff MN
Lyons WB
Nielsen UN
Virginia RA
Wall DH

Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences
Publication Date: 2019-12-14
Type: Journal Article

Using Humic Fractions to Understand Natural Organic Matter Processes in Soil and Water: Selected Studies and Applications

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Olk DC; Bloom PR; De Nobili M; Chen Y; McKnight DM; Wells MJM; Weber J

Published in: Journal of Environmental Quality
Publication Date: 2019-11-01
Type: Journal Article

Sabbea gen. nov., a new diatom genus (Bacillariophyta) from continental Antarctica

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

All Authors:

Bishop J; Kopalova K; Darling JP; Schulte NO; Kohler J; McMinn A; Spaulding SA; Mcknight DM; Van De Vijver B...

Bishop J
Kopalova K
Darling JP
Schulte NO
Kohler J
McMinn A
Spaulding SA
Mcknight DM
Van De Vijver B

Published in: Phytotaxa
Publication Date: 2019-09-23
Type: Journal Article

Diurnal chemistry of two contrasting stream types, Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valley Region, Antarctica

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Harmon RS; Leslie DL; Lyons WB; Welch KA; McKnight DM

Published in: E3S Web of Conferences
Publication Date: 2019-07-21
Type: Conference Proceeding

Environmental and Agricultural Relevance of Humic Fractions Extracted by Alkali from Soils and Natural Waters

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors:

Olk DC; Bloom PR; Perdue EM; McKnight DM; Chen Y; Farenhorst A; Senesi N; Chin Y-P; Schmitt-Kopplin P; Hertkorn N...

Olk DC
Bloom PR
Perdue EM
McKnight DM
Chen Y
Farenhorst A
Senesi N
Chin Y-P
Schmitt-Kopplin P
Hertkorn N

Published in: Journal of Environmental Quality
Publication Date: 2019-03-01
Type: Journal Article

Transit Times and Rapid Chemical Equilibrium Explain Chemostasis in Glacial Meltwater Streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

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

All Authors: Wlostowski AN; Gooseff MN; McKnight DM; Lyons WB

Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
Publication Date: 2018-12-28
Type: Journal Article

Aeolian Material Transport and Its Role in Landscape Connectivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

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

All Authors: Diaz MA; Adams BJ; Welch KA; Welch SA; Opiyo SO; Khan AL; McKnight DM; Cary SC; Lyons WB

Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface
Publication Date: 2018-12-01
Type: Journal Article

Spatial and temporal patterns of microbial mats and associated invertebrates along an Antarctic stream

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Andriuzzi WS; Stanish LF; Simmons BL; Jaros C; Adams BJ; Wall DH; McKnight DM

Published in: Polar Biology
Publication Date: 2018-10-01
Type: Journal Article

Catch and release: Hyporheic retention and mineralization of N-fixing Nostoc sustains downstream microbial mat biomass in two polar desert streams

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Kohler TJ; Stanish LF; Liptzin D; Barrett JE; McKnight DM

Published in: Limnology and Oceanography Letters
Publication Date: 2018-08-01
Type: Journal Article

Global change-driven effects on dissolved organic matter composition: Implications for food webs of northern lakes

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors:

Creed IF; Bergstrom A-K; Trick CG; Grimm NB; Hessen DO; Karlsson J; Kidd KA; Kritzberg E; McKnight DM; Freeman EC...

Creed IF
Bergstrom A-K
Trick CG
Grimm NB
Hessen DO
Karlsson J
Kidd KA
Kritzberg E
McKnight DM
Freeman EC

Published in: Global Change Biology
Publication Date: 2018-08-01
Type: Journal Article

Relationship between dissolved organic matter quality and microbial community composition across polar glacial environments

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

All Authors: Smith HJ; Dieser M; McKnight DM; SanClements MD; Foreman CM

Published in: FEMS Microbiology Ecology
Publication Date: 2018-07-01
Type: Journal Article

BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene

CU Boulder Authors: Elmendorf, Sarah Claire; McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors:

Dornelas M; Antao LH; Moyes F; Bates AE; Magurran AE; Adam D; Akhmetzhanova AA; Appeltans W; Arcos JM; Arnold H...

Dornelas M
Antao LH
Moyes F
Bates AE
Magurran AE
Adam D
Akhmetzhanova AA
Appeltans W
Arcos JM
Arnold H

Published in: Global Ecology and Biogeography
Publication Date: 2018-07-01
Type: Journal Article

A Tribute to George R. Aiken

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; Rosario-Ortiz, Fernando L.

All Authors: Chin Y-P; McKnight D; Rosario-Ortiz FL

Published in: Environmental Science and Technology (Washington)
Publication Date: 2018-04-17
Type: Journal Article

Oligotrophic wetland sediments susceptible to shifts in microbiomes and mercury cycling with dissolved organic matter addition

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Graham EB; Gabor RS; Schooler S; McKnight DM; Nemergut DR; Knelman JE

Published in: PeerJ
Publication Date: 2018-04-03
Type: Journal Article

Near-Surface Refractory Black Carbon Observations in the Atmosphere and Snow in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, and Potential Impacts of Foehn Winds

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

All Authors: Khan AL; McMeeking GR; Schwarz JP; Xian P; Welch KA; Lyons WB; McKnight DM

Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Publication Date: 2018-03-16
Type: Journal Article

Long-Term Experimental Acidification Drives Watershed Scale Shift in Dissolved Organic Matter Composition and Flux

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

All Authors: SanClements MD; Fernandez IJ; Lee RH; Roberti JA; Adams MB; Rue GA; McKnight DM

Published in: Environmental Science and Technology (Washington)
Publication Date: 2018-03-06
Type: Journal Article

Dissolved fulvic acids from a high arsenic aquifer shuttle electrons to enhance microbial iron reduction

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Kulkarni HV; Mladenov N; McKnight DM; Zheng Y; Kirk MF; Nemergut DR

Published in: Science of the Total Environment
Publication Date: 2018-02-15
Type: Journal Article

High Pressure Size Exclusion Chromatography (HPSEC) Determination of Dissolved Organic Matter Molecular Weight Revisited: Accounting for Changes in Stationary Phases, Analytical Standards, and Isolation Methods

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McAdams BC; Aiken GR; McKnight DM; Arnold WA; Chin Y-P

Published in: Environmental Science and Technology (Washington)
Publication Date: 2018-01-16
Type: Journal Article

Thermal autecology describes the occurrence patterns of four benthic diatoms in McMurdo Dry Valley streams

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; Sokol, Eric Robert

All Authors: Darling JP; Garland DD; Stanish LF; Esposito RMM; Sokol ER; McKnight DM

Published in: Polar Biology
Publication Date: 2017-12-01
Type: Journal Article

Decadal ecosystem response to an anomalous melt season in a polar desert in Antarctica

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

All Authors:

Gooseff MN; Barrett JE; Adams BJ; Doran PT; Fountain AG; Lyons WB; McKnight DM; Priscu JC; Sokol ER; Takacs-Vesbach C...

Gooseff MN
Barrett JE
Adams BJ
Doran PT
Fountain AG
Lyons WB
McKnight DM
Priscu JC
Sokol ER
Takacs-Vesbach C

Published in: Nature Ecology and Evolution
Publication Date: 2017-09-01
Type: Journal Article

Concentration-discharge relationships during an extreme event: Contrasting behavior of solutes and changes to chemical quality of dissolved organic material in the Boulder Creek Watershed during the September 2013 flood

CU Boulder Authors: Pitlick, John; McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Rue GP; Rock ND; Gabor RS; Pitlick J; Tfaily M; McKnight DM

Published in: Water Resources Research
Publication Date: 2017-07-01
Type: Journal Article

Dissolved black carbon in the global cryosphere: Concentrations and chemical signatures

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; Khan, Alia Lauren

All Authors: Khan AL; Wagner S; Jaffe R; Xian P; Williams M; Armstrong R; McKnight D

Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
Publication Date: 2017-06-28
Type: Journal Article

Freshwater diatom biogeography and the genus Luticola: an extreme case of endemism in Antarctica

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; Kociolek, John Patrick

All Authors: Kociolek JP; Kopalova K; Hamsher SE; Kohler TJ; Van de Vijver B; Convey P; McKnight DM

Published in: Polar Biology
Publication Date: 2017-06-01
Type: Journal Article

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Organic Matter Spectroscopy Lab

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Organic Matter Spectroscopy Lab

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