Michael P. Montgomery

Historical Ecology, Biogeography, and Social Oceanography

My research applies historical methods to marine ecology. I am especially interested in how species’ geographic ranges have responded to past environmental changes such as marine heatwaves, and in how different groups of people experience, interpret, and preserve knowledge of the associated range shifts. My hope is that a historically grounded, community-guided outlook can enhance our understanding of ongoing and probable future species range shifts in a warming ocean.

Biography
Born in Colorado, but with formative experiences in California and Washington, I have been curious about plants and animals and place-to-place ecological differences for as long as I can remember. As a Marine and Coastal Science major at the University of California, Davis, I learned there was a whole field dedicated to those differences. Thanks to the encouragement of several of my professors, I also found an early academic home in the study of American literature, and have kept up an active interest in it ever since.

At UC Santa Barbara I am excited to be working with Dr. Peter Alagona on a project that combines my love of natural history and oceanography with my love of libraries, archives, and the environmental humanities. When not leading discussion sections or field trips, I am happiest singing and playing guitar—and happiest of all when we have a guitar with us, for anyone to play, on the field trips.