Eric Hunt

Eric Hunt

  • Contact Information
  • My Story
  • Publications
  • Background
  • Interests
  • Courses Taught

Contact Information

TitleExtension Educator | Agricultural Meteorology and Climate Resilience
Faculty RankAssistant Extension Educator
Address153d North Hardin Hall
3310 Holdrege Street
Lincoln NE
68583–0931

East Campus
Phone
  • office: 402-617-4190
E-mailehunt2@unl.edu
VitaeDownload file

 

Contact Preference

Open door policy and email

Office Hours

NRES 104 (Spring 2023): Tuesday and Thursday, 1500-1630; Wednesday, 0800-0845

My Story

I am an Assistant Extension Educator of Agricultural Meteorology and Climate Resilience for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and am the director of Weather Ready Farms. Prior to joining UNL in 2023, I had the privilege to spend over a decade working with Verisk Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc. (AER) on a variety of different projects.

Ever since I was a small child, I have always been fascinated by the weather, particularly the extreme weather we get in the Midwestern U.S. that affects crop production. My love of the weather is what drove me to pursue and finish a degree in Meteorology down at the University of Oklahoma. But during my time at OU, I learned that I was more interested in things like land-atmosphere interactions and drought than I was chasing tornadoes. This led me back to the Midwest for graduate school and Lincoln has been home to me ever since.

Selected Publications

Christian, J.I., Martin, E.R., Basara, J.B., Furtado, J.C., Otkin, J.A., Lowman, L.E.L., Hunt, E.D., Mishra, V., Xiao, X. 2023. Global projections of flash drought show increased risk in a warming climate. Communications Earth & Environment | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00826-1
Lowman, L.E.L., Christina, J.I., Hunt, E. 2023. How Land Surface Characteristics Influence the Development of Flash Drought through the Drivers of Soil Moisture and Vapor Pressure Deficit. Journal of Hydrometeorology VOLUME 24. DOI: 10.1175/JHM-D-22-0158.1Online
Hunt, E.D., C. Walters, T. Klemm, I. Eronmwon, and J. Cohen. 2022. "Using Analog-Based Seasonal Weather Forecasts to Improve Grain Marketing Decisions" Choices. Quarter 1. https://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/submitted-articles/using-analog-based-seasonal-weather-forecasts-to-improve-grain-marketing-decisions Online
Christian, J., J. Basara, E. Hunt, J. Otkin, J. Furtado, V. Mishra, X. Xiao, R. Randall, 2021: Global distribution, trends, and drivers of flash drought occurrence. Nat Commun 12, 6330 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26692-z Online
Otkin, J., Zhong, Y., Hunt, E. D., Christian, J. I., Basara, J., Nguyen, H., Wheeler, M., Ford, T., Hoell, A., Svoboda, M. (2021). Development of a Flash Drought Intensity Index. Atmosphere, 12(741), 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12060741Online
Christian, J., J. B. Basara, E. D. Hunt, J.A. Otkin, X. Xiao, 2020: Flash drought development and cascading impacts associated with the 2010 Russian heatwave. Environmental Research Letters 15 094078
Hunt, E., J. Christian, J.B. Basara, L. Lowman, J. Otkin, J. Bell, K. Jarecke, R.A. Wakefield, R. Randall, 2020: The flash drought of 1936. Journal of Applied and Service Climatology, 2020 (4), http://www.doi.org/10.46275/JOASC.2020.11.001 Online
Basara, J., J. Christian, R. Wakefield, J. Otkin, E. Hunt, D. Brown, 2019: The Evolution, Propagation, and Spread of Flash Drought in the Central United States During 2012. Environmental Research Letters, 14(8), 084025.
Christian, J. I., Basara, J. B., Otkin, J. A., Hunt, E., Wakefield, R. A., Flanagan, P., Xiao, X. 2019. A Methodology for Flash Drought Identification: Application of Flash Drought Frequency across the United States. Journal of Hydrometeorology. 20(5): 83Online
Otkin, J. A., Zhong, Y., Hunt, E., Basara, J., Svoboda, M., Anderson, M. C., Hain, C. 2019. Assessing the Evolution of Soil Moisture and Vegetation Conditions during a Flash Drought–Flash Recovery Sequence over the South-Central United States. Journal of Online
Alvarado, M., E. Winijkul, R. Adams-Selin, E. Hunt, and 6 others, 2018: Source of black carbon deposition to the Himalayan glaciers in current and future climates. J. Geophys. Res. Atm., 2018.
Hunt, E. and 49 other authors: Our Arctic Nation. Connecting the United States to the Arctic. A U.S. Arctic Council Chairmanship Initiative from the U.S. State Department, 2017.
Otkin, J. A., Svoboda, M., Hunt, E. D., Ford, T. W., Andersoson, M. C., Hain, C., Basara, J. B. (2018). Flash Droughts: A Review and Assessment of the Challenges Imposed by Rapid-Onset Droughts in the United States (5th ed., vol. 99, pp. 911-919).
Hunt, E., J. Wegiel, F. Chen. “Land surface model development needs for weather prediction.” Eos Transactions, 95 (43), 392, 28 October 2014.
Hunt, E., Svoboda, M., Wardlow, B., Hubbard, K., Hayes, M. J., Arkebauer, T. (2014). Monitoring the effects of rapid onset of drought on non-irrigated maize with agronomic data and climate-based drought indices. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology/AMS, 19Online
Pytlik Zillig, L., Steffensmeier, T., Campbell Hibbs, A., Champion, B., Hunt, E., Harrington, J., Spears, J., Umphlett, N., Bruning, R., Kahl, D. (2013). Fostering Climate Change Education in the Central Great Plains: A Public Engagement Approach. Interna
Wardlow, B.D., T. Tadesse, K. Callahan, S. Swain, and E. Hunt, 2012. The Vegetation Drought Response Index (VegDRI): an integration of satellite, climate, and biophysical data. Drought Mitigation Center Faculty Publications. 107Online
Hunt, Eric D.; Hubbard, Kenneth G.; Wilhite, Donald A.; Arkebauer, Timothy J.; Dutcher, Allen L. 2009. The Development and Evaluation of a Soil Moisture Index. Reprinted from: International Journal of Climatology 29: 747-759.
Gu, Y., E. Hunt, B.D. Wardlow, J.B. Basara, J.F. Brown, and J.P. Verdin, 2008. Evaluation and validation of modis ndvi and ndwi for vegetation drought monitoring using Oklahoma mesonet soil moisture data. Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2008GL03
Hubbard, K.G., J. You, E. Hunt, V.R Sridhar, S. Korner, G. Roebke, 2008: State-Wide Soil Moisture Monitoring Networks: Nebraska Case Study. Great Plains Research, in press
Hunt, E.D., K.G. Hubbard, D.A. Wilhite, T.J. Arkebauer, and A.L. Dutcher. 2008. The development and evaluation of a soil moisture index. Int. J. Climatol. Wiley InterScience. DOI: 10.1002/joc.1749.Online
Illston, B.G., J.B. Basara, D.K. Fisher, R. Elliot, C.A. Fiebrich, K.C. Crawford, K. Humes, E. Hunt. 2008. Mesoscale monitoring of soil moisture across a statewide network. J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol. 25(2):167-182.Online
Sridhar, V., K.G. Hubbard, J. You, and E. Hunt. 2008. Development of a soil moisture index to quantify agricultural drought and its ‘user friendliness’ in severity-area-duration assessment. J. Hydrometeorology. 9(4):660-676.Online
Hunt, E., J. B. Basara, C. Morgan, 2007: Significant Inversions and Rapid In-Situ Cooling at a Well-Sited Oklahoma Mesonet Station. J. Appl. Meteor., 46, 353-367.Online
Hunt, E., J. B. Basara, and C. Morgan. “Significant inversions and rapid in-situ cooling at a well-sited Oklahoma Mesonet station.” J. Appl. Meteor., 46, 353-367, 2007.Hunt, E., J. B. Basara, and C. Morgan. “Significant inversions and rapid in-situ cooling at a well-sited Oklahoma Mesonet station.” J. Appl. Meteor., 46, 353-367, 2007.

Background

Education

DegreeMajorInstitutionYear Awarded
Doctorate of PhilosophyNatural Resource Sciences with a specialization in Bio-Atmospheric InteractionsUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln2015
Master of ScienceNatural Resource SciencesUniverisity of Nebraska-Lincoln2007
Bachelor of ScienceMeteorologyUniversity of Oklahoma2005

 

Affiliations

 

Professional Organizations

NamePosition
American Association of State Climatologists
American Meteorological Society
Soil Science Society of America

 

Websites

Areas of Interest/Expertise

  • Climate
  • Hydroclimate
  • Drought/flash drought
  • Sustainable agriculture

Courses Taught

Course NumberCourse TitleFall Even YearsFall Odd YearsSpring Even YearsSpring Odd YearsSummer SessionCross Listing
NRES 104Climate in CrisisXX