Carolyn Hunsaker
Research Ecologist
PSW, USFS - USDA Forest Service - Pacific Southwest Research Station
Hunsaker's PSW, USFS page
Ph.D., Environmental Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 1980
My current research interests are in headwater stream ecosystems and landscape ecology (understanding the influence of spatial and temporal scales on monitoring, assessments, and spatial uncertainty). I designed and implemented the Kings River Experimental Watersheds in the Sierra Nevada; this is a research effort to better integrate physical, chemical, and biological process research.
-
CZO Publications
Papers/Books
2019
Arrested development: Erosional equilibrium in the southern Sierra Nevada, California, maintained by feedbacks between channel incision and hillslope sediment production. Callahan, R.P., Ferrier, K.L., Dixon, J., Dosseto, A., Hahm, W.J., Jessup, B.S., Miller, S.N., Hunsaker, C.T., Johnson, D.W., Sklar, L.S., Riebe, C.S. (2019): GSA Bulletin Cross-CZO
2018
Mechanisms controlling the impact of multi-year drought on mountain hydrology. Bales, R. C.; Goulden, M. L.; Hunsaker, C. T.; Conklin, M. H.; Hartsough, P. C.; O'Geen, A. T.; Hopmans, J. W.; Safeeq, M. (2018): Hydrological Processes: 10.1038/s41598-017-19007-0
2018
Stabilization Mechanisms and Decomposition Potential of Eroded Soil Organic Matter Pools in Temperate Forests of the Sierra Nevada, California. Stacy, E.M.; Berhe, A.A.; Hunsaker, C.T.; Johnson, D.W.; Meding, S.M.; Hart, S.C. (2018): Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 124
2017
Concentration-discharge relationships in headwater streams of the Sierra Nevada, California. Hunsaker, C. T., Johnson, D. W. (2017): Water Resources Research 53, 7869–7884
2016
Hydrogeologic influence on changes in snowmelt runoff with climate warming: Numerical experiments on a mid-elevation catchment in the Sierra Nevada, USA. Jepsen, S. M.; Harmon, T. C.; Meadows, M. W.; Hunsaker, C. T. (2016): Hydrology 533, 332-342. DOI 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.12.010
2016
Tracing the Source of Soil Organic Matter Eroded from Temperate Forest Catchments Using Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes. McCorkle, E.P., Berhe, A.A., Hunsaker, C.T., Johnson, D.W., McFarlane, K.J., Fogel, M.L., Hart, S.C (2016): Geology.
2016
Variation of organic matter quantity and quality in streams at Critical Zone Observatory watersheds. Miller, Matthew P., Boyer, Elizabeth W., McKnight, Diane M., Brown, Michael G., Gabor, Rachel S., Hunsaker, Carolyn T., Iavorivska, Lidiia, Inamdar, Shreeram, Johnson, Dale W., Kaplan, Louis A., Lin, Henry, McDowell, William H., Perdrial, Julia N. (2016): Water Resources Research, 52 (10): 8202–8216 Cross-CZO
2016
Characterizing Runoff and Water Yield for Headwater Catchments in the Southern Sierra Nevada. Safeeq, M., Hunsaker, C. (2016): Journal of the American Water Resources Association
2016
Effects of Model Spatial Resolution on Ecohydrologic Predictions and Their Sensitivity to Inter-Annual Climate Variability. Son, K., Tague, C., Hunsaker C. (2016): Hillslope and Watershed Hydrology
2015
Soil carbon and nitrogen erosion in forested catchments: implications for erosion-induced terrestrial carbon sequestration. Stacy, E., Hart, S.C., Hunsaker, C.T., Johnson, D.W., Berhe, A.A. (2015): Biogeosciences, 12, 4861-4874
2012
Response to Comment on Soil moisture response to snowmelt and rainfall in a Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest. Hopmans, J.W., R.C. Bales, A.T. O'Geen, C.T. Hunsaker, D. Beaudette, P.C. Hartsough, A. Malazian, P. Kirchner, and Meadows, M. (2012): Vadose Zone Journal. 11
2012
Snowmelt Runoff and Water Yield Along Elevation and Temperature Gradients in Californias Southern Sierra Nevada . Hunsaker, C.T., Whitaker, T.W., and Bales, R.C. (2012): Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 2012. 1-12: p. 667-678.
2012
Controls of streamflow generation in small catchments across the snow-rain transition in the Southern Sierra Nevada, California . Liu, F., Hunsaker, C.T., and Bales, R.C. (2012): Hydrological Processes. 27 1959.
2012
Controls of streamflow pathways in small catchments across the snow-rain transition in the Southern Sierra, California. Lui, F., Hunsaker, C.T., Bales, R.B. (2012): Hydrological Processes
2011
Soil Moisture Response to Snowmelt and Rainfall in a Sierra Nevada Mixed-Conifer Forest. Bales, R.C., Hopmans, J., O'Geen, A.T., Meadows, M., Hartsough, P.C., Kirchner, P., Hunsaker, C.T., Beaudette, D. (2011): Vadose Zone J., 10:786-799.
2010
Carbon and Nutrient Contents in Soils from the Kings River Experimental Watershed, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California. Johnson, D.W., Hunsaker, C.F., Glass, D.W., Rau, B.M., Roath, B.A. (2010): Geoderma 160 (3-4): 490-502.
2008
Sampling Strategies in forest hydrology and biogeochemistry. Bales, R.C., Conklin, M.H., Krekez, B., Glaser, S.D., Hopmans, J. W., Hunsaker, C.T., Meadows, M.W. (2008): Forest Hydrology and Biogeochemistry. Ecological Studies, Volume 216, Part 2, 29-44.
Papers and books that explicitly acknowledge a CZO grant are highlighted in PALE ORANGE.
Other CZO Publications
2017
Sediment Concentration and Its Relation to Catchment Characteristics in Forested Headwater Streams of the Sierra Nevada, California. Wagenbrenner, J.; Safeeq, M.; Hunsaker, C. (2017): Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2017. Abstract H41C-1450.
2016
Sensitivities of dry season runoff to precipitation and temperature in southern Sierra Nevada streams. Safeeq, M.; Hunsaker, C.T.; Bales, R.C. (2016): Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2016. Abstract H44B-03.
2015
Drought effects on evapotransiration and subsurface water storage in the southern Sierra Nevada. Bales, R., Goulden, M., Hunsaker, C., Conklin, M., Hartsough, P., O’Geen, A., Hopmans, J., Safeeq, M. (2015): H33M. The Hydrology-Vegetation-Climate Nexus: Identifying Process Interactions and Environmental Shifts in Mountain Catchments II, presented at 2015 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, CA, 14-18 Dec.
2015
Sensitivity of Hydrologic Partitioning to Snowpack Dynamics . Barnhart, T.B., Molotch, N.P., Livneh, B., Harpold, A.A., Knowles, J.F., Anderson, S.P., Bales, R.C., and Hunsaker, C.T. (2015): Poster, presented at the Western Snow Conference, Grass Valley, CA, April 20-23. Cross-CZO
2015
Erosional distribution of metal oxides and its implication for soil carbon dynamics. Berhe, A., Newman, A., Hunsaker, C (2015): American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2015, abstract #B11G-0508
2015
Erosional distribution of metal oxides and its implication for soil carbon dynamics. Berhe, A., Newman, A., Hunsaker, C. (2015): B11G. Organic Matter as an Integrated Signal of Climate and Land Use Change from Source to Sea I Posters, presented at 2015 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, CA, 14-18 Dec.
2015
Hydrogeologic Influence on Changes in Snowmelt Runoff with Climate Warming: Numerical Experiments on a Mid-Elevation Catchment in the Sierra Nevada, USA. Jepsen, S., Harmon T., Meadows, M., Hunsaker, C. (2015): H52C Modeling the Critical Zone: Integrating Processes and Data across Disciplines and Scales I, presented at 2015 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, CA, 14-18 Dec.
2015
Characterizing Runoff and Water Yield from Headwater Catchments in the Southern Sierra Nevada. Safeeq, M., Hunsaker, C. (2015): American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting
2015
Characterizing Runoff and Water Yield from Headwater Catchments in the Southern Sierra Nevada . Safeeq, M., Hunsaker, C. (2015): H51N Surface Hydrology Posters, presented at 2015 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, CA, 14-18 Dec.
2015
Variability of Residence Time tracer Concentrations at the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory during the California Drought. Visser, A., Thaw, M., Stacy, E., Hunsaker, C., Bibby, R., Deinhart, A.L., Schorzman, K., Egnatuk, C., Conklin, M., Esser, B. (2015): H21F Hydrochronology: Advances in Tracer Methods, Modeling Techniques, and Applications of Residence Times in Hydrology Research I Posters., presented at 2015 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, CA, 14-18 Dec.
2014
Composition and mean residence time of soil organic matter eroded from temperate, forested catchments: implications for erosion-induced carbon sequestration. Berhe, A.A., McCorkle, E., Stacy, E., Hart, S., Hunsaker, C., Johnson, D (2014): AGU Fall Meeting
2013
Using stable isotopes to determine sources of eroded carbon in low-order Sierra Nevada catchments. McCorkle, E.P., A.A. Berhe, C.T. Hunsaker, M.L. Fogel, and S.C. Hart (2013): American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2013, abstract #B13G-0604
2013
Timber harvest effect on soil moisture in the southern Sierra Nevada: Is there a measurable impact?. Meadows, M.W., R.C. Bales, M.H. Conklin, M. Goulden, P.C. Hartsough, J.W. Hopmans, C.T. Hunsaker, R.G. Lucas and A.I. Malazian (2013): American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2013, abstract #H11B-1165
2013
Decomposability of organic matter eroded from eight low-order catchments. Stacy, E.M., A.A. Berhe, D.W. Johnson, C.T. Hunsaker, S.C. Hart. (2013): GSA 109th Cordilleran Section Meeting
2012
Erosion of bulk and pyrogenic C from upland forested Sierra Nevada ecosystems (Invited). Berhe, A.A., Stacy, E.M., McClintock, M., Newman, A., Hart, S.C., Hunsaker, C.T., Johnson, D.W. (2012): Fall meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2012. Abstract B34C-08.
2012
Lateral redistribution of dissolved vs complexed organic matter with soil. Stacy, E.M., Medding, S.M., Hart, S.C., Hunsaker, C.T., Johnson, D.W., Berhe, A.A. (2012): Fall meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2012. Abstract B34C-07.
2011
"Sediment Load Variability, Sediment Sources, and Erosion Rates for Forest Headwater Streams in the Southern Sierra Nevada, California. Hunsaker, C. T. (2011): National CZO Program 2011 All Hands Meeting
2011
Nitrogen Contents and Fluxes in Sierra Nevada Forests of California . Hunsaker, C.T., Johnson, D. (2011): Fall meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2011. Abstract B13G-0656
2011
Nutrient Hotspots in a Sierra Nevada Soil: Spatial Patterns on a Plot and a Watershed Scale. Johnson, D., Hunsaker, C.T., Meadows, M.W. (2011): Fall meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2011. Abstract B33G-0551.
2011
Chemical characteristics of sediment eroded from Sierra Nevada headstream catchments. Stacy, E., Hart, S. C., Johnson, D., and Hunsaker, C. T. (2011): : National CZO Program 2011 All Hands Meeting
2011
Mechanisms of soil organic matter stabilization in sediments eroded from small Sierra Nevada catchments . Stacy, E., Hart, S.C., Hunsaker, C.T., Johnson,D., Berhe, A. (2011): Fall meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2011. Abstract B31G-0382.
2009
Water and geochemical responses to seasonal changes across the rain-snow transition in the Southern Sierra Nevada (Invited) . Bales, R.C., Hunsaker, C.T., Meadows, M., Kerkez, B., Glaser, S.D., Liu, F., (2009): Fall meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2009. 90(52). Abstract B32A-06
2009
Controls of Stream Water Chemistry in Small catchments Across Snow/Rain Transition in the Southern Sierra, California . Liu, F., Hunsaker, C.T., Bales, R.C. (2009): Fall meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2009. 90(52). Abstract H33H-0987.
2009
Sediment Sources in Four Small Mountain Streams in the Central Sierra Nevada, California . Martin, S.E., Hunsaker, C.T., Bales, R.C. (2009): Fall meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2009. 90(52). Abstract EP53D-0649.
2009
Variations in rock-fragment abundance and bulk geochemistry of soils across the Southern Sierra Nevada CZO: Implications for hillslope-channel coupling (Invited) . Riebe, C.S., Hunsaker, C.T., Johnson, D.W., Jessup, B.S. (2009): Fall meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2009. 90(52). Abstract EP51E-02.
2008
"Hydroclimate, ecosystem links & the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory. Bales, R; Hunsaker, C; Kirchner, P; Conklin, M; Lucas, R. (2008): Southern Sierra Science Symposium
2008
Water Yield and Runoff Timing Across the Rain-snow Transition at the Kings River Experimental Watersheds in Californias Southern Sierra Nevada. Hunsaker, C., Bales, R. (2008): Fall meeting, American Geophysical Union, December 2008. 89(53). Abstract 13C-0933
2007
Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (CZO): hydrochemical characteristics, science and measurement strategy. Bales, R.; Hunsaker, C.; Conklin, M.; Kirchner, J.; Bouer, B.; Kirchner, P. (2007): American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007, abstract #H51K-02
-
News
Water Resources Research Special Collection: Concentration-discharge relations in the critical zone
30 Oct 2017 - Water Resources Research published a new special collection in September 2017 featuring concentration-discharge research from multiple CZOs.
“Natural Inquirer” education journal features study by Southern Sierra researchers
01 Apr 2016 - A study by Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory researchers was featured in a recent issue of Natural Inquirer, a middle school...
SSCZO researchers featured in Tulare Basin Wildlife Partners “One Watershed” series
15 Oct 2015 - SSCZO's Mohammad Safeeq, Carolyn Hunsaker, and Roger Bales discuss forest health, sustainable management, and impacts on water in a changing climate.
FS Partner KREW receives national award
13 Mar 2015 - The Kings River Experimental Watershed (KREW) Group led by Dr. Carolyn Hunsaker form the Pacific Southwest Research Station are recognized for their...
Watershed-scale Experimental Design (KREW webinar)
19 Mar 2013 - Research Ecologist Carolyn Hunsaker presented a USFS Landscape Science webinar on the Kings River Experimental Watershed on March 19th. This hourly...
-
Events
2013 Summer Field Tour (with High Sierra SAF)
Science & forest management in the mixed-conifer forest
Sierra National Forest - Providence Creek & other sites.
Explore Further
