Breadcrumb
Organic Matter Spectroscopy Lab
Breadcrumb
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
- 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
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 near Canada Glacier in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica
Researcher on the grassy shoreline of an alpine lake in the Rocky Mountains.
News
These freeze-drying algae can awaken from cryostasis, could help spaceflights go farther (AGU)
Climate change is eroding work to clean up the Snake River. Is snowmaking making it worse? (Colorado Sun)
New class of CU Distinguished Professors: Leaders in research, education, service (CU Connections)
Publications
Publications for McKnight are shown below
Effects of Spatial Variability and Relic DNA Removal on the Detection of Temporal Dynamics in Soil Microbial Communities
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
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
Publication Date: 2020-01-01
Type: Journal Article
The Hydroecology of an Ephemeral Wetland in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
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
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
Publication Date: 2019-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Sabbea gen. nov., a new diatom genus (Bacillariophyta) from continental Antarctica
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
Publication Date: 2019-09-23
Type: Journal Article
Diurnal chemistry of two contrasting stream types, Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valley Region, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2019-07-21
Type: Conference Proceeding
Environmental and Agricultural Relevance of Humic Fractions Extracted by Alkali from Soils and Natural Waters
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
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
Publication Date: 2018-12-28
Type: Journal Article
Aeolian Material Transport and Its Role in Landscape Connectivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Publication Date: 2018-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Spatial and temporal patterns of microbial mats and associated invertebrates along an Antarctic stream
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
Publication Date: 2018-08-01
Type: Journal Article
Global change-driven effects on dissolved organic matter composition: Implications for food webs of northern lakes
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
Publication Date: 2018-08-01
Type: Journal Article
Relationship between dissolved organic matter quality and microbial community composition across polar glacial environments
Publication Date: 2018-07-01
Type: Journal Article
BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene
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
Publication Date: 2018-07-01
Type: Journal Article
A Tribute to George R. Aiken
Publication Date: 2018-04-17
Type: Journal Article
Oligotrophic wetland sediments susceptible to shifts in microbiomes and mercury cycling with dissolved organic matter addition
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
Publication Date: 2018-03-16
Type: Journal Article
Long-Term Experimental Acidification Drives Watershed Scale Shift in Dissolved Organic Matter Composition and Flux
Publication Date: 2018-03-06
Type: Journal Article
Dissolved fulvic acids from a high arsenic aquifer shuttle electrons to enhance microbial iron reduction
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
Publication Date: 2018-01-16
Type: Journal Article
Thermal autecology describes the occurrence patterns of four benthic diatoms in McMurdo Dry Valley streams
Publication Date: 2017-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Decadal ecosystem response to an anomalous melt season in a polar desert in Antarctica
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
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
Publication Date: 2017-07-01
Type: Journal Article
Dissolved black carbon in the global cryosphere: Concentrations and chemical signatures
Publication Date: 2017-06-28
Type: Journal Article
Freshwater diatom biogeography and the genus Luticola: an extreme case of endemism in Antarctica
Publication Date: 2017-06-01
Type: Journal Article