David R. Montgomery is a professor of earth and space sciences at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

in Seattle, where he is a member of the Quaternary Research Center. Montgomery received his B.S. in

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1984, and his Ph.D. in

geomorphology Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand wh ...

from

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

in 1991. His research addresses the evolution of topography and the influence of geomorphological processes on

ecosystems An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

and human societies. His published work includes studies of the role of topsoil in human civilization, the evolution and near-extirpation of

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

, geomorphological processes in mountain

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

s, the evolution of mountain ranges, and the use of digital topography. He has conducted field research in eastern

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

, South America, the Philippines, Alaska, and the American

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

. Montgomery's first popular-audience book, ''King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon'' explored the history of salmon fisheries in Europe, New England, California, and the Pacific Northwest. It won the 2004 Washington State Book Award in General Nonfiction. In 2008 Montgomery received a MacArthur Fellowship. His book, ''Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations'' won the 2008 Washington State Book Award in General Nonfiction. Montgomery's 2012 book, ''The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood'' explores the relationship between catastrophic floods in the distant past, flood legends, "Noachian flood geology", and geologic discovery over the past several hundred years. It won the 2013 Washington State Book Award in General Nonfiction. After the catastrophic Oso mudslide in Washington State in March, 2014, Montgomery appeared on various news segments to discuss the science behind landslides. He appears in

DamNation Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment after death for sins that were committed, or in some cases, good actions not done, on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, it was believed that citizens woul ...

the 2014 documentary film about dam removal in the United States. In 2015, Montgomery appeared, as a geologist, in the PBS documentary film, '' Making North America''. In 2016, Montgomery published ''The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health'', a collaboration with Anne Biklé. The book addresses the relationship between microbial life, plants, and people. His most recent work, ''Growing A Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life'', was released with W.W. Norton and Company in May 2017. He married Anne B. Biklé on September 7, 2000. She is a biologist and landscape architect who has worked in "field biology, watershed restoration, environmental planning, and public health."

References

External links

David R. Montgomery home page

author page
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, David R. Living people Educators from Seattle Stanford University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni University of Washington faculty Writers from Seattle MacArthur Fellows American geomorphologists American non-fiction environmental writers Year of birth missing (living people)

References

Further reading

External links