World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
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Earth Science
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Earth Science

D-Index
99
Citations
37797
World Ranking
141
National Ranking
70

Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
98
Citations
39412
World Ranking
1647
National Ranking
921

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Earth Science in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Earth Science in United States Leader Award
  • 2012 - Member of the National Academy of Engineering For elucidating the interrelationship between natural organic matter and heavy metals in streams and lakes.
  • 2009 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 2003 - Fellow of American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Overview

Diane M. McKnight is affiliated with the University of Colorado Boulder in the United States. Their research primarily spans the fields of Environmental Science and Earth and Planetary Sciences, with a significant focus on several specialized subfields.

The subfields of study include:

  • Ecology
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Geochemistry and Petrology
  • Oceanography

Research topics covered by Diane M. McKnight feature:

  • Polar Research and Ecology
  • Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
  • Cryospheric Studies and Observations
  • Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis
  • Marine and Coastal Ecosystems
  • Mine Drainage and Remediation Techniques
  • Heavy Metals in Environment

Frequent publication venues for Diane M. McKnight include:

  • Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences
  • Frontiers in Earth Science
  • Biogeochemistry
  • Aquatic Sciences
  • Hydrological Processes

Coauthors who have collaborated regularly with Diane M. McKnight are:

  • M. N. Gooseff
  • Pamela Sullivan
  • Sidney Bush
  • Joel Singley
  • Kathi Jo Jankowski

Some of the recent papers authored or coauthored by Diane M. McKnight include:

  • Effects of Spatial Variability and Relic DNA Removal on the Detection of Temporal Dynamics in Soil Microbial Communities, 2020, mBio
  • Enhanced Rare Earth Element Mobilization in a Mountain Watershed of the Colorado Mineral Belt with Concomitant Detection in Aquatic Biota: Increasing Climate Change-Driven Degradation to Water Quality, 2021, Environmental Science & Technology
  • Identification of next-generation International Humic Substances Society reference materials for advancing the understanding of the role of natural organic matter in the Anthropocene, 2023, Aquatic Sciences
  • Geochemistry of aeolian material from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: Insights into Southern Hemisphere dust sources, 2020, Earth and Planetary Science Letters
  • Long-term stream hydrology and meteorology of a Polar Desert, the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, 2022, Hydrological Processes

Diane M. McKnight has been recognized with several awards throughout their career, including:

  • Member of the National Academy of Engineering (2012) for elucidating the interrelationship between natural organic matter and heavy metals in streams and lakes
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2009)
  • Fellow of American Geophysical Union (AGU) (2003)

Best Publications

  • Spectrofluorometric characterization of dissolved organic matter for indication of precursor organic material and aromaticity

    Diane M. McKnight;Elizabeth W. Boyer;Paul K. Westerhoff;Peter T. Doran

  • Lakes and reservoirs as regulators of carbon cycling and climate

    Lars J. Tranvik;John A. Downing;James B. Cotner;Steven A. Loiselle

  • Fluorescence spectroscopy reveals ubiquitous presence of oxidized and reduced quinones in dissolved organic matter.

    Rose M. Cory;Diane M. McKnight

  • Water in a changing world

    Robert B. Jackson;Stephen R. Carpenter;Clifford N. Dahm;Diane M. McKnight

  • Quinone Moieties Act as Electron Acceptors in the Reduction of Humic Substances by Humics-Reducing Microorganisms

    Durelle T. Scott;Diane M. McKnight;Elizabeth L. Blunt-Harris;Sarah E. Kolesar

  • Isolation of hydrophilic organic acids from water using nonionic macroporous resins

    G.R. Aiken;Diane M. McKnight;K.A. Thorn;E.M. Thurman

  • Hydrological controls on dissolved organic carbon during snowmelt in the Snake River near Montezuma, Colorado

    G. M. Hornberger;K. E. Bencala;D. M. McKnight

  • Spatial and temporal variations in DOM composition in ecosystems: The importance of long-term monitoring of optical properties

    R. Jaffé;D. McKnight;N. Maie;N. Maie;R. Cory;R. Cory

  • Characterization of DOM as a function of MW by fluorescence EEM and HPLC-SEC using UVA, DOC, and fluorescence detection.

    Namguk Her;Gary Amy;Diane McKnight;Jinsik Sohn;Jinsik Sohn

  • Antarctic climate cooling and terrestrial ecosystem response

    Peter T. Doran;John C. Priscu;W. Berry Lyons;John E. Walsh

  • Sorption of dissolved organic carbon by hydrous aluminum and iron oxides occurring at the confluence of deer creek with the Snake River, Summit County, Colorado

    Diane M. McKnight;Kenneth E. Bencala;Gary W. Zellweger;George R. Aiken

  • Response characteristics of DOC flushing in an alpine catchment

    Elizabeth W. Boyer;Elizabeth W. Boyer;George M. Hornberger;Kenneth E. Bencala;Diane M. McKnight

  • BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene

    Maria Dornelas;Laura H. Antão;Laura H. Antão;Faye Moyes;Amanda E. Bates;Amanda E. Bates

  • Effect of instrument‐specific response on the analysis of fulvic acid fluorescence spectra

    Rose M. Cory;Matthew P. Miller;Diane M. McKnight;Jennifer J. Guerard

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

    Irena F. Creed;Ann Kristin Bergström;Charles G. Trick;Nancy B. Grimm

  • Iron photoreduction and oxidation in an acidic mountain stream.

    D. M. Mcknight;B. A. Kimball;K. E. Bencala

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

    Irena F. Creed;Diane M. McKnight;Brian A. Pellerin;Mark B. Green

  • Aquatic fulvic acids in algal-rich antarctic ponds

    Diane M. McKnight;Edmund D. Andrews;Sarah A. Spaulding;George R. Aiken

  • Chemical characteristics of fulvic acids from Arctic surface waters: Microbial contributions and photochemical transformations

    Rose M. Cory;Rose M. Cory;Diane M. McKnight;Yu Ping Chin;Penney Miller

  • Release of weak and strong copper-complexing agents by algae1

    Diane M. McKnight;Francois M. M. Morel

  • Transport and cycling of iron and hydrogen peroxide in a freshwater stream: Influence of organic acids

    Durelle T. Scott;Durelle T. Scott;Robert L. Runkel;Diane M. McKnight;Bettina M. Voelker

Frequent Co-Authors

Michael N. Gooseff
Michael N. Gooseff University of Colorado Boulder
W. Berry Lyons
W. Berry Lyons The Ohio State University
Kenneth E. Bencala
Kenneth E. Bencala United States Geological Survey
Peter T. Doran
Peter T. Doran Louisiana State University
John C. Priscu
John C. Priscu Montana State University
Andrew G. Fountain
Andrew G. Fountain Portland State University
Rose M. Cory
Rose M. Cory University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Kathleen A. Welch
Kathleen A. Welch The Ohio State University
Robert L. Runkel
Robert L. Runkel United States Geological Survey
Diana H. Wall
Diana H. Wall Colorado State University

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