Breadcrumb

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

Lane Allen
PhD student

Natalie Aranda
Grad student

Jared Collins
Grad student

Lauren Magliozzi
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

Dissolved black carbon in Antarctic lakes: Chemical signatures of past and present sources

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

All Authors: Khan AL; Jaffe R; Ding Y; McKnight DM

Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
Publication Date: 2016-06-16
Type: Journal Article

Characterization of dissolved organic material in the interstitial brine of Lake Vida, Antarctica

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Cawley KM; Murray AE; Doran PT; Kenig F; Stubbins A; Chen H; Hatcher PG; McKnight DM

Published in: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Publication Date: 2016-06-15
Type: Journal Article

Dissolved organic matter transport reflects hillslope to stream connectivity during snowmelt in a montane catchment

CU Boulder Authors: Barnard, Holly Rene; McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Burns MA; Barnard HR; Gabor RS; McKnight DM; Brooks PD

Published in: Water Resources Research
Publication Date: 2016-06-01
Type: Journal Article

Climate regulates alpine lake ice cover phenology and aquatic ecosystem structure

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

All Authors: Preston DL; Caine N; McKnight DM; Williams MW; Hell K; Miller MP; Hart SJ; Johnson PTJ

Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
Publication Date: 2016-05-28
Type: Journal Article

Nutrient treatments alter microbial mat colonization in two glacial meltwater streams from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Kohler TJ; Van Horn DJ; Darling JP; Takacs-Vesbach CD; McKnight DM

Published in: FEMS Microbiology Ecology
Publication Date: 2016-04-01
Type: Journal Article

Regulations Governing Spill Response Planning

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Recommendations

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines A Comparative Study of Environmental Fate, Effects, and Response Summary

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Chemical and Physical Properties of Crude Oils

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Environmental Processes, Behavior, and Toxicity of Diluted Bitumen

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Spill Response Planning and Implementation

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Stream biogeochemical and suspended sediment responses to permafrost degradation in stream banks in Taylor Valley, Antarctica

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

All Authors: Gooseff MN; Van Horn D; Sudman Z; McKnight DM; Welch KA; Lyons WB

Published in: Biogeosciences
Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Journal Article

Solute and sediment fluxes from rivers and streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

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

All Authors: Lyons WB; Welch KA; Levy JS; Fountain AG; Mcknight DM

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines A Comparative Study of Environmental Fate, Effects, and Response Introduction

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Comparing Properties Affecting Transport, Fate, Effects, and Response

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines A Comparative Study of Environmental Fate, Effects, and Response Preface

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: McKnight D; Friedman D

Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Chapter

An overview of research from a high elevation landscape: the Niwot Ridge, Colorado Long Term Ecological Research programme

CU Boulder Authors: Suding, Katharine Nash; Bowman, Bill; McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Williams MW; Seastedt TR; Bowman WD; McKnight DM; Suding KN

Published in: Plant Ecology and Diversity
Publication Date: 2015-11-02
Type: Journal Article

A slide down a slippery slope - alpine ecosystem responses to nitrogen deposition

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; Bowman, Bill

All Authors: Bowman WD; Nemergut DR; McKnight DM; Miller MP; Williams MW

Published in: Plant Ecology and Diversity
Publication Date: 2015-11-02
Type: Journal Article

Children's book series and associated curricula support elementary education and outreach in water resources

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie; Ray, Chris

All Authors: Ray C; McKnight DM; Bidwell MD; Fourment T; Pritz CF; Rinehart AH

Published in: Plant Ecology and Diversity
Publication Date: 2015-11-02
Type: Journal Article

Limnology of the Green Lakes Valley: phytoplankton ecology and dissolved organic matter biogeochemistry at a long-term ecological research site

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors: Miller MP; McKnight DM

Published in: Plant Ecology and Diversity
Publication Date: 2015-11-02
Type: Journal Article

Antarctic streams as a potential source of iron for the Southern Ocean

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

All Authors: Lyons WB; Dailey KR; Welch KA; Deuerling KM; Welch SA; McKnight DM

Published in: Geology (Boulder)
Publication Date: 2015-11-01
Type: Journal Article

Dissolved Organic Matter Quality in a Shallow Aquifer of Bangladesh: Implications for Arsenic Mobility

CU Boulder Authors: Bilinski, Teresa; McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors:

Mladenov N; Zheng Y; Simone B; Bilinski TM; McKnight DM; Nemergut D; Radloff KA; Rahman MM; Ahmed KM...

Mladenov N
Zheng Y
Simone B
Bilinski TM
McKnight DM
Nemergut D
Radloff KA
Rahman MM
Ahmed KM

Published in: Environmental Science and Technology (Washington)
Publication Date: 2015-09-15
Type: Journal Article

The river as a chemostat: fresh perspectives on dissolved organic matter flowing down the river continuum

CU Boulder Authors: McKnight, Diane Marie

All Authors:

Creed IF; McKnight DM; Pellerin BA; Green MB; Bergamaschi BA; Aiken GR; Burns DA; Findlay SEG; Shanley JB; Striegl RG...

Creed IF
McKnight DM
Pellerin BA
Green MB
Bergamaschi BA
Aiken GR
Burns DA
Findlay SEG
Shanley JB
Striegl RG

Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Publication Date: 2015-08-01
Type: Journal Article

Hydrodynamic control of benthic mats of Didymosphenia geminata at the reach scale

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

All Authors: Cullis JDS; McKnight DM; Spaulding SA

Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Publication Date: 2015-06-01
Type: Journal Article

Pressure-driven, shoreline currents in a perennially ice-covered, pro-glacial lake in Antarctica, identified from a LiCl tracer injected into a pro-glacial stream

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

All Authors: Castendyk D; McKnight D; Welch K; Niebuhr S; Jaros C

Published in: Hydrological Processes
Publication Date: 2015-04-30
Type: Journal Article

Search

Breadcrumb

Organic Matter Spectroscopy Lab

Breadcrumb

Organic Matter Spectroscopy Lab

Contact & services

News

Publications

Regulations Governing Spill Response Planning

Recommendations

Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines A Comparative Study of Environmental Fate, Effects, and Response Summary

Chemical and Physical Properties of Crude Oils

Environmental Processes, Behavior, and Toxicity of Diluted Bitumen

Spill Response Planning and Implementation

Solute and sediment fluxes from rivers and streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines A Comparative Study of Environmental Fate, Effects, and Response Introduction

Comparing Properties Affecting Transport, Fate, Effects, and Response

Spills of Diluted Bitumen from Pipelines A Comparative Study of Environmental Fate, Effects, and Response Preface

Pages