Dr. Paul Montagna is a renowned marine biologist with a particular focus on freshwater inflow. Born and raised in New York City, he pursued his undergraduate studies at Stony Brook on Long Island before earning his Master's degree at Northeastern University in Boston. He later completed his Ph.D. at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Montagna's journey into the field of science was somewhat accidental. Initially, he aspired to be a high school biology teacher, but after a student teaching course, he realized that he was more drawn to the scientific aspects of biology. This led him to graduate school, where he discovered his passion for coastal ecology, particularly salt marshes and estuaries. Throughout his career, Dr. Montagna has supervised around 80 graduate students, including 60 Master's students and 20 Ph.D. students. He has also worked with about thirty postdocs and numerous technicians. His work has significantly contributed to the field of marine biology, and he has played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of many young scientists.

Scope and Content Note:
February 23, 2017: Dr. Montagna provides an in-depth look into his life, career, and contributions to marine biology. The interview begins with a discussion of Dr. Montagna's early life and educational background, including his initial aspiration to become a high school biology teacher and his eventual shift towards marine biology. The conversation then moves on to Montagna's experiences in graduate school and his subsequent career. He shares his experiences of supervising a large number of graduate students and postdocs, and the unique contributions each of them brought to his lab. The interview also touches on Dr. Montagna's role in establishing the second-largest research reserve in the country, a 186,000-acre site that is now one of the most successful National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) sites in the U.S. Dr. Montagna discusses the challenges he faced in setting up the reserve and the skills he learned from his time as a school board member that helped him in this endeavor. The interview concludes with a discussion on future topics, including oil and gas issues, indicating that this is part of a series of interviews with Dr. Montagna.

March 9, 2017: This interview provides a comprehensive overview of the Montagna's work in environmental science, specifically focusing on the analysis and mapping of oil spills. He discusses the use of multivariate analysis to reduce complex data into a more manageable form, and the subsequent mapping of this data to visualize the areas affected by oil spills. Dr. Montagna also discusses the challenges faced in this process, particularly in dealing with areas of uncertainty. In addition to the technical aspects of their work, Montagna also reflects on the broader implications and applications of their research. He emphasizes the importance of translating scientific findings into actionable solutions for policymakers and economists, and discuss the unique approach of their institution in integrating social and natural sciences to address environmental problems. He also shares their thoughts on the current state of public discourse around scientific facts, expressing concern about the rise of 'alternative facts' and the misuse of scientific uncertainty by denial industries. Montagna stresses the importance of the iterative nature of science and the need for continued research and revision of our understanding.

April 15, 2022: Dr. Paul Montagna discusses his work on freshwater inflow science, which began in 1986 when he was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Texas. He was tasked with determining the amount of water needed to flow into San Antonio Bay to maintain its health, a question that took him twenty years to answer. This research question led to a new career trajectory for Dr. Montagna and allowed him to contribute to local environmental issues in Texas. Dr. Montagna also discusses the significant shift in Texas's approach to environmental flow regulations in 2007, moving from a species management approach to an ecosystem-based management approach. This change led to the establishment of environmental flow standards for every bay and river in the state. The interview also covers the indirect effects of flow on the biology of bays, the role of climate in driving flow, and the need for a new volume of the book Freshwater Inflows to Texas Bays and Estuaries due to significant changes in data and laws since the first volume was published. Dr. Montagna mentions a grant received from the Texas General Land Office to assemble a team to create a new volume, which will be completely rewritten and reorganized. Dr. Montagna also discusses the use of bioindicators to measure the state of disturbance in the environment, and the importance of long-term monitoring at sentinel sites. He highlights the unique climatic gradient along the Texas Coast, which presents a natural experiment for studying the effects of changes in inflow on estuaries. Dr. Montagna notes that this understanding of long-term dynamics is crucial for answering questions about inflow.