Research Interests
My research and teaching interests are focused on the processes controlling hydrologic fluxes in mountainous regions and within the greater Earth system. Improved understanding of these processes is essential for sustainable management of natural resources and for making informed environmental policy decisions. My research projects utilize ground-based observations, remote sensing, and computational modeling to obtain comprehensive understanding of hydrological processes; in particular the distribution of snow and vegetation. Additional projects aim at developing techniques for scaling hydrological processes and for designing ground-based observation networks tailored for integration with remote sensing and modeling. Studies relating fluxes of water, carbon, and nitrogen are also a focus of my current projects - in particular the feedbacks between water availability and carbon cycling in montane forests.
Recent Courses Taught
- Fall 2023 GEOG 3251 Mountain Geography
- Spring 2023 GEOG 4321/5321 Snow Hydrlogy
- Spring 2023 GEOG 5241 Topics in Physical Geography: Snow from Space
- Fall 2022 GEOG 1001 Environmental Systems: Climate and Vegetation
- Spring 2021 GEOG 4321/5321 Snow Hydrology
- Spring 2021 GEOG 5241 Topics/Physical Geography: Mountain Hydrology
- Fall 2020 GEOG/GEOL 4093/5093 Remote Sensing of the Environment
- Spring 2020 GEOG 4321/5321 Snow Hydrology
- Spring 2019 GEOG 1001 Environmental Systems: Climate and Vegetation
- Spring 2019 GEOG 5100 Special Topics: Snowpack Stratigraphy
Selected Publications
Perrot, D., N.P. Molotch, K.N. Musselman, E. Pugh. (2014). Modeling the effects of the Mountain Pine Beetle on snowmelt in a subalpine forest. Ecohydrology, 7(2), 226 – 241. doi:10.1002/eco.1329
Guan, B., N.P. Molotch, D.E. Waliser, E.J. Fetzer, and P.J. Neiman. (2013). The 2010/11 Snow Season in California’s Sierra Nevada: Role of Atmospheric Rivers and Modes of Large-scale Variability. Water Resources Research, 49, 6731–6743. doi:10.1002/wrcr.20537
Musselman, K.N., N.P. Molotch, S.A. Margulis, M. Lehning, D. Gustafson. (2012). Improved snowmelt simulations with a canopy model forced with photo-derived direct beam canopy transmissivity. Water Resources Research, 48, 10. doi:10.1029/2012WR012285
Musselman, K.N., N.P. Molotch, S.A. Margulis, P.B. Kirchner, R.C. Bales. (2012). Influence of canopy structure and direct beam solar irradiance on snowmelt rates in a mixed conifer forest. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, VOL. 161, Pgs. 46-56. DOI:10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.03.011
Trujillo, E., N.P. Molotch, M. Goulden, A. Kelly, R. C. Bales. (2012). Elevation-dependent influence of snow accumulation on forest greening. Nature Geoscience.doi:10.1038/ngeo1571
Publications updated November 2014
