Climate change causing increase in metals concentrations in streams
Diane McKnight's alpine stream research is highlighted in a new article published in the Aspen Times.
The piece focuses on newly published research demonstrating climate-driven increases in stream metal concentrations in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, including Lincoln Creek above Aspen.
McKnight, a distinguished professor in the Environmental Engineering Program and the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, is an expert on aquatic ecology and the interactions between hydrologic, chemical and biological processes in aquatic systems.
McKnight has been measuring the pH levels of the upper Snake River in Summit County for decades. On a recent trip with students, a stream that usually had a pH level of about 4 measured 2.75, meaning the acidity had greatly increased.
“I said: Wait, the probe must be wrong, the probe must be broken,” she said. “Guess what, the probe was not broken. … The public should be aware the world is changing, and there are surprises.”