Team Member Candid Photo

Maya Montalvo is a hydrologist with expertise in California coastal and hillslope ecohydrology, geology, and hydroclimatology. She is passionate about understanding how climate, geomorphology, and vegetation interact to shape hydrologic and biogeochemical cycles in both coastal and mountainous landscapes. Maya’s graduate research spanned diverse field sites across the California coast, Sierra Nevada, and Coast Ranges. She has extensive experience in surface and subsurface hydrologic and ecophysiological monitoring, remote sensing analysis, and geophysical surveying to explore watershed dynamics and environmental processes. Outside of work, Maya enjoys spending time exploring mountains, museums, and meals with her wonderful friends and family.

  • M.S., Earth Sciences and Hydrology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2022
  • B.S., Earth Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2020

Climate Change, Coastal Hydrology, Ecohydrology, Hydrogeology, Hydrologic Monitoring, Hydrology, Post-Fire Hydrology, Python, Real-time Gaging, Remote Sensing, Sierra Meadows

Key Projects

  • Stanford Stream and Groundwater Monitoring, Stanford University, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, CA
  • Hydrogeologic Analysis and Stream Monitoring, Montara Water and Sanitary District, San Mateo County
  • Russian River Telemetry Study, California State Water Resources Control Board, Sonoma County, CA

  • Montalvo, M. S., Grande, E., Braswell, A. E., Visser, A., Arora, B., Seybold, E. C., ... and Zimmer, M. A., 2024. A fresh take: seasonal changes in terrestrial freshwater inputs impact salt marsh hydrology and vegetation dynamics. Estuaries and Coasts, 47(8), pp.2389-2405.
  • Richardson, C., Montalvo, M., Wagner, S., Barton, R., Paytan, A., Redmond, M., and Zimmer, M., 2024. Exploring the Complex Effects of Wildfire on Stream Water Chemistry: Insights From Concentration‐Discharge Relationships. Water Resources Research, 60(2), e2023WR034940.
  • Barton, R., Richardson, C. M., Pae, E., Montalvo, M. S., Redmond, M., Zimmer, M. A., and Wagner, S., 2024. Hydrology, rather than wildfire burn extent, determines post‐fire organic and black carbon export from mountain rivers in central coastal California. Limnology and oceanography letters, 9(1), pp.70-80.

Working on diverse, interesting, and community-oriented projects. And frequent fun field days with the team!

I am very fortunate to work alongside a kind and collaborative team at Balance. It has been wonderful to learn from colleagues who are passionate about approaching complex problems with curiosity and interdisciplinary perspectives.

As it remains difficult to choose just one, we can go by season: Fall - Carpathian Mountains; Winter - Cairngorms; Spring – Svaneti Range; Summer – Huaraz.

RETURN TO TEAM OVERVIEW