Luna B. Leopold

From HydroWiki

A highly recognized and well known Ecologist and author, Dr. Luna Leopold’s work included studies of American rivers that developed new theories about their depth, velocity and movement that turned out to be common for all rivers. A skilled engineer, meteorologist and geologist, Dr. Leopold became the chief hydrologist for the United States Geological Survey, and held that title from 1956 to 1966. During that time, he led a group of scientists of the Geological Survey to study the relationships between rivers and their landscapes, identifying the effects of hills, slopes and the geology around the rivers. They also studied river depths and velocity, vegetation and sediments, and the movement of particles in water along riverbeds.

Based on the results of this study, Dr. Leopold along with his colleague Thomas Maddock Jr., disproved a theory by Dr. William Emmett, a former research hydrologist for the Geological Survey, which stated that rivers lost velocity as they reached their end and joined the sea. They proved that in fact rivers gained velocity and increased in depth as they moved downstream, and this was fundamental for all rivers despite their size.

In 1965, he was part of a group that charted the forces that comprised the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon surrounding it. He and his group floated 300 miles on the River, and Dr. Leopold wrote detailed descriptions of his findings to allow for future comparisons.

He was also well known for the ‘Leopold Report’, a study of the Everglades by the Geological Survey which made aware the fragility of the Everglades, and potential dangers that would arise from the proposed building of an airport by the Officials of the Dade County Port Authority.

Born in Albuquerque in 1916, he received a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, a master’s degree in Meteorology from UCLA, and went on to earn a doctorate in Geology from Harvard in 1950.

He became a member of the Geological Survey the same year, retiring as a senior research hydrologist in 1972. He taught at the University of California, Berkeley, were he acquired emeritus status in 1987.

He was an active member of the National Academy of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1991.

He died February 23rd, 2006 in his home in Berkeley.