Luna Bergere Leopold (October 8, 1915 – February 23, 2006) was a leading

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

geomorphologist and

hydrologist Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...

, and son of

Aldo Leopold Aldo Leopold (January 11, 1887 – April 21, 1948) was an American writer, Philosophy, philosopher, Natural history, naturalist, scientist, Ecology, ecologist, forester, Conservation biology, conservationist, and environmentalist. He was a profes ...

. He received a B.S. in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

in 1936; an M.S. in

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

meteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agricultur ...

from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

in 1944; and a Ph.D. 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

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1950. Leopold is widely known in his primary field for his work in

fluvial A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...

geomorphology and for the classic book, ''Fluvial Processes in Geomorphology'', that he wrote with Gordon Wolman and John Miller. Leopold suggested that a new philosophy of

water management Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either freshwater from natural sources, or water produced artificia ...

is needed, one based on geologic, geographic, and climatic factors as well as traditional economic, social, and political factors. He argued that the management of water resources cannot be successful as long as it is naïvely perceived from an economic and political standpoint, as it is in the

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

Career

From 1937 to 1940, Leopold worked as an engineer for the U.S. Soil Conservation Service in

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. In 1940, he enlisted and was a part of the U.S. Army Weather Service and the Army Air Force. He was in the Army until 1946 and he rose from the rank of Private to Captain. From 1946 to 1950, Leopold served as the Chief

Meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists ...

of the Pineapple Research Institute,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. In 1950, he joined the

U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...

. He worked for the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

until 1972 serving as Hydraulic Engineer (1950–56), Chief Hydrologist (1956–66), and Senior Research Hydrologist (1966–72). During his tenure as Chief Hydrologist he made lasting changes in the conduct of hydrology in the USGS. He unified the field offices of the Water Resources Division from being identified as surface water, groundwater, or quality of water offices and formed single district offices, one for each state. He also created the National Research Program of the Water Resources Division. In addition he promoted the importance of USGS working on the important and controversial topics such as land use change, flood control, water pollution, and groundwater development. In 1972, Leopold joined the faculty of the

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 ...

as a professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics and Department of Landscape Architecture. He retired in 1986 and continued as a Professor Emeritus until his death in 2006.

Awards and honors

*1958 - Recipient of the first Kirk Bryan Award of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hi ...

(with Thomas J. Maddock, Jr.) *1967 - Elected to the United States

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

*1968 - Recipient of the

Cullum Geographical Medal The Cullum Geographical Medal is one of the oldest awards of the American Geographical Society. It was established in the will of George Washington Cullum, the vice president of the Society, and is awarded "to those who distinguish themselves by ...

of the

American Geographical Society The American Geographical Society (AGS) is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are United States, Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows f ...

*1971 - Elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

*1972 - President of The Geological Society of America *1972 - Elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

*1973 - Recipient of the G. K. Warren Prize from the

. *1980 - Honorary Doctorate from the

*1981 - Honorary Doctorate from the University of St. Andrews,

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

*1983 - Awarded the Busk Medal by the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

. *1988 - Honorary Doctorate from the

University of Murcia The University of Murcia () is the primary institute of higher education in Murcia, Spain. With a student population of approximately 38,000, it is the largest university in the Region of Murcia. Founded in 1272 AD, the University of Murcia is ...

*1991 - Awarded the

National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral science, behavior ...

. *1992 - Awarded the Robert E. Horton Medal *1994 - Awarded the Penrose Medal *1994 - Awarded the Joan Hodges Queneau Palladium Medal *2006 - Awarded The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth Science

Books by Luna Leopold

*Leopold, Luna B. (1966). ''Water'' (Series: LIFE Science Library), Time Incorp, ISBN B000GQO9SM. *Leopold, Aldo and Leopold, Luna B. (editor) (1972, reprint). ''Round River''. Oxford University Press, USA. . *Leopold, Luna B. (1974). ''Water: A Primer''. W H Freeman & Co. . * Dunne, Thomas and Luna B. Leopold (1978). ''Water in Environmental Planning''. W. H. Freeman & Co. . *Leopold, Luna B. (1966, reprinted 1981). ''Water'', Life Science Library, Time Life Education. . *Leopold, Luna B.; Wolman, M. Gordon; and Miller, John P. (1995). ''Fluvial Processes in Geomorphology''. Dover Publications. . *Leopold, Luna B. (1997). ''Water, Rivers and Creeks''. University Science Books. . *Leopold, Luna B. (2006, reprint). ''A View of the River''. Harvard University Press; New Ed edition. .

References

Other sources

The San Francisco Chronicle, 3/3/2006EOS 3/19/2019

The Virtual Luna Leopold ProjectAssociation of Engineering Societies website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leopold, Luna Bergere 1915 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American geologists American hydrologists American people of German descent American geomorphologists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences National Medal of Science laureates Penrose Medal winners Scientists from Albuquerque, New Mexico Process geomorphologists Recipients of the Cullum Geographical Medal Sedimentologists United States Geological Survey personnel University of California, Berkeley faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering alumni Harvard University alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Presidents of the Geological Society of America Members of the American Philosophical Society Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute) laureates