PERSPECTIVES ON PETE BIRKELAND’S SCHOLARLY CONTRIBUTIONS AND LEGACY BY AN OUTSIDER LOOKING IN (Invited Presentation)

The immense legacy of Dr. Peter Birkeland in the field of soil geomorphology is difficult (if not impossible) to measure or quantify. Even more difficult to evaluate are the myriad personal-professional contributions that he has had with students and colleagues. So many of his past students remain steadfast disciples even today, their lives having been immeasurably changed through their interactions with him. Their insights and perspectives on how Pete lived his life and how he has influenced them can only be told by them – the insiders.

I am a practicing soil geomorphologist. But as an undergraduate student my passion lay in plant geography. The trajectory of my career was perpetually altered, however, in 1980 when in graduate school I was handed a copy of Pete’s first book, “Pedology, Weathering, and Geomorphological Research”. After reading that book I immediately changed my research focus to soil geomorphology. And I have never looked back. Subsequently, my approach to research has been molded and influenced by many of Pete Birkeland’s papers, and of course by his three classic textbooks. Both editions of Soils Genesis and Geomorphology - a textbook I co-authored - were inspired by his work. Both are also dedicated to Pete Birkeland, as well as Francis Hole and Donald Johnson - all giants in the field of soil geomorphology. And yet, despite the clear connections in my career to the Birkeland academic style and focus, I never met him. My “outsider” story emphasizes the wide-reaching influence of Pete’s scholarship.

In this talk, I make a humble attempt to quantify the scholarly output and contributions of Peter Birkeland, as to type, focus, style, and location. Hopefully, this synopsis will help audience members to better understand the academic and spatial focus of his work, as it developed and morphed over the course of his career.