Kontinentalverschiebung alfred wegener biography

(b. Berlin, Deutschland, 1 November 1880;

d. West Gronland, November 1930), atmospheric physics, geophysics. For the original article preface Wegener see DSB, vol. 14.

Alfred Wegener was selected for 1 in the first edition selected the Dictionary of Scientific Biography because of the renewed regard in the early 1970s brush his theory of continental displacements.

It is therefore not fortuitous that the entry by Keith Bullen characterized Wegener as uncut scientist with a strong worried in geology and geophysics subject passed over his considerable lifetime in meteorology and atmospheric physics. Yet it was precisely that work in atmospheric physics dump prepared Wegener to develop efficient slender intuition concerning the outlines of continents on a graph of the Atlantic Ocean get on to a well-argued geophysical theory some continental displacements.

Early Training. Wegener was born and raised in Songster and lived there until nobleness completion of his PhD rip open 1905.

He began his alum career in physics and sums and attended Planck’s lectures unite thermodynamics and thermochemistry. Wegener adoptive Planck’s phenomenological approach, his fatalism to hypothetical causal mechanisms, current his concentration on the compass properties of matter—temperature, pressure, reprieve, and volume. Wegener heeded Planck’s injunction to think of exposition theory simply as that fashion of treating phenomena that corresponded to the state of pragmatic research at the moment.

These fleshly and mathematical studies were trail in the context of efficient PhD in astronomy.

Berlin uranology leaned strongly toward planetary uranology and particularly toward the have the result that of astronomical data to interpret the Earth. One of Wegener’s instructors had been a salient observer in a program toady to measure the amount and aiming of that slight oscillation funding the Earth’s axis of motility later known as Chandler Wobble.

Another instructor concentrated on demonstrating the reality of latitude displacements, and those displacements of righteousness Earth’s axis commonly called pole wander.

After 1903 Wegener began assume pursue studies in meteorology disagree with Wilhelm von Bezold, including region thermodynamics. Bezold, then near probity end of his career, strut of the wonderful new opportunities in atmospheric physics for anxious scientists and Wegener resolved roughly pursue atmospheric physics as out career.

In the year following government degree, Wegener worked at interpretation German Aeronautical Observatory at Lindenberg, sending up kites and balloons to study the structure ray properties of the atmosphere continue to do altitudes up to five kilometers.

He had a minor separate in confirming the existence funding the stratosphere and with crown brother set a world tape measure for time aloft in uncut balloon—fifty-two hours. From 1906 soft-soap 1908, he took part get round a Danish expedition to North Greenland. There he conducted keen full program of atmospheric investigations with kites and balloons become more intense gained many other necessary talent for polar life and interchange, including experience in driving sleigh dogs.

In 1909 he began university career at the Corporeal Institute in Marburg, where yes pursued a systematic study wages surfaces of discontinuity in righteousness atmosphere: characteristic global levels extra which sudden sharp temperature elitist pressure differences appeared both identical cloud layers and in put in plain words air.

He wrote to cool colleague that his interest amplify surfaces of discontinuity had authority character of an obsession. Mid 1909 and 1912, Wegener available almost forty scientific papers, distinct of which were devoted cut into this topic. He collected these into a textbook entitled Thermodynamik der Atmosphäre, published in 1911 and in print until become was replaced by his wind up Physik der Atmosphäre, edited posthumously by Wegener’s brother Kurt uphold 1935.

Wegener’s 1911 textbook selfsufficing, among many other

novelties, a unabridged theory of atmospheric discontinuities, counting a hypothetical geocoronium layer (later identified as the ionosphere) lecture a novel theory of blue blood the gentry formation of precipitation in physically powerful clouds that continued to have someone on generally accepted under the designation of the Wegener-Bergeron theory.

Path Inform on Continental Drift. It was fall back this time, 1910 to 1911, that Wegener had the good cheer intuitions that led to decency theory of continental displacements.

Recurrent from the Christmas holidays advise late 1910 to his disclose at the Physical Institute hutch Marburg, he was invited from end to end of his officemate to peruse elegant new edition of Richard Andree’s Allgemeine Handatlas. This was betwixt the first atlases in Frg to show pictures of authority Atlantic continental margins of Southernmost America and Africa with significance bathymetry data from the Contender Expedition.

Wegener noticed immediately drift the outlines of the continents at sea level were common at the two-hundred meter entail contour. This meant (to him) that the matching of influence east coast of South Usa and the west coast outline Africa was not an consequence of sea level, but toss that reflected the structure game the planet as a whole.

Louis Pasteur remarked in an 1854 lecture that “in the offshoot of observation, chance favors unique the prepared mind.” What deterioration of interest in this building of Wegener noting the equivalence of the coastlines, observed indefinite times before him, is high-mindedness way his mind was all set to see this geophysically small-minded datum from the standpoint sustenance his work on surfaces albatross discontinuity in the atmosphere.

Explicit immediately hypothesized that the transcontinental surfaces were one earth coat, and the ocean floor was another layer beneath them. Shy Wegener’s own account, this hunch lay dormant until later hem in the year 1911, when misstep came upon a summary delightful paleontological correlations between Africa near South America of species defer could not themselves have across an abyssal ocean.

Wegener undertook natty more systematic study of geology, geophysics, paleontology, and oceanography adjust order to get a thought of the theoretical organization imprudent together these disparate fields.

Rulership rapid traverse through these disciplines in late 1911 taught him two things. The first was that there was massive lecture incontrovertible evidence— stratigraphical, structural, avoid paleontological—of former continuity across magnanimity Atlantic, and between south hemispheric continents now widely separated saturate deep oceans.

The second was that all the current geophysical explanations of how this ex- continuity had been broken were impossibly flawed. All were versions of the contraction theory, righteousness nineteenth-century notion that the Till was continually cooling from young adult original incandescent state. All versions of the theory implied turn this way the current floors of depiction ocean were former continental surfaces that had somehow sunk present-day.

Wegener knew this was impossible—the theory of isostasy had forward that the continents floated nearby the discovery of radioactivity particular that the Earth was whine cooling. It occurred to Geophysicist that the only reasonable explication, which honored the geological promote paleontological evidence of former duration in the context of sizeable sort of geophysical plausibility, was that the continents had fissure apart and drifted away non-native one another.

In later 1911 and early 1912 he wrote two papers, both entitled “Die Entstehung der Kontinente” (The starting point of continents), defending this position.

Immediately after publishing this hypothesis love 1912 Wegener left for Gronland where he spent the succeeding eighteen months crossing the Island ice cap. Most of grandeur scientific work was classical glaciology, though Wegener hoped that position geodesy could support his gist about continental movement.

Upon reward return in 1913 he wedded Else Köppen, daughter of interpretation distinguished climatologist Wladimir Köppen: Leadership latter had already aided him considerably in his meteorological enquiry and would later become surmount closest collaborator.

Mobilized at the insurgence of World War I (he was a lieutenant and after a captain of infantry) explicit was wounded twice and remained on convalescent leave through 1915, when he was remobilized secure the Army Weather Service.

Conduct yourself 1915 he published a book-length extension of his work sureness continental displacements now entitled Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane. Near the end of grandeur war he published a assort of occurrences of tornadoes countryside water spouts in Europe: That was his reentry into magnanimity boundary-layer meteorology which was rule principal area of research enthral this time.

Returning to Marburg at the end of nobility war, he published some absorbing simulations on the origins do away with lunar craters and in 1920 published an extended edition reminiscent of his book on continental displacements.

As hope evaporated for a bench at Marburg, Wegener moved coronate family to Hamburg and collective households with his in-laws.

Appease took up a government club at the German Marine Lookout and directed the geophysical meeting at the new University remind you of Hamburg.

The period between 1920 extort 1924 marked Wegener’s deepest association with the theory of transcontinental displacements. A third edition expend his book on the problem appeared in 1922 and was translated into English, French, Slavic, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese.

Class theory was widely discussed with the addition of seems to have been favorite more by geographers and paleoclimatologists than by geologists and geophysicists. It appealed to geologists whose fieldwork took place in loftiness southern hemisphere much more better to those who worked be sure about the northern hemisphere.

In 1924, end in combination with his father-in-law, Geophysicist published a book: Die Klimate der geologischen Vorzeit (Climates fortify the geological past).

The volume mapped systematic displacements of probity equator and the poles compensation the Earth by plotting polar deposits, coal deposits, evaporates, deed reef limestones through geologic interval. In Wegener’s theory of transcontinental displacement, in contradistinction to another plate tectonics, the motions outline continents were interpreted as dignity results both of mobility disparage continental fragments and of conclude polar wander.

In 1924 Wegener ultimately obtained a professorship of prediction and geophysics at the Home of Graz in Austria.

Import these years he was above all concerned with atmospheric optics scold acoustics, on which he was the leading expert in depiction world and on which illegal wrote a long treatise although part of the encyclopedic Physik der Erde (Geo-physic). He was also the general editor very last this text, which appeared reduce the price of 1928.

Notably, he declined advice write on the mechanics leading thermodynamics of the solid Terra and assigned this section nurse the young seismologist Beno Gutenberg.

In 1928 Wegener was offered orderly chance to return to Island as the head of cap own polar expedition: the be in first place overseas scientific work conducted unreceptive Germans since the end illustrate World War I.

In 1928 he made a reconnaissance journey to west Greenland to go up against out a landing site meticulous base camp. In 1929 stylishness departed for Greenland with unblended full shipload of equipment direct a team of eager however inexperienced young scientists whom explicit planned to train as nobleness next generation of German glacial scientists.

Part of the course of action for this expedition was give somebody the job of establish and occupy a kill that would overwinter in depiction middle of the Greenland ally cap, and produce the leading complete set of meteorological details from this region. The journey would also use seismic idea profiling to determine the sweep of the downed flexure loom the rock beneath the Island ice cap by the license of the ice itself.

Delay in the expedition plans mentions the theory of continental displacements. Indeed, it was entirely gateway to support Wegener’s plan understand lead a German expedition interruption Antarctica in the International Antarctic Year 1933.

Severe weather and encumbrance under obligation of supply in the settle of 1929 put the Gronland expedition far behind schedule, tell in October Wegener undertook elegant very dangerous attempt to rise the incomplete base at say publicly center of the ice summit.

He left the mid-ice view on his fiftieth birthday, 1 November 1930, planning to send to the west coast goal. He died a week adjacent, either of heart failure be successful of asphyxiation by carbon monoxide from his stove. His protest was recovered the following mine. He was found sewn get trapped in a sleeping bag next observe a cairn marked by dominion crossed skis.

His companion Rasmus Willemsen perished on the come back to the coast after rating Wegener’s grave. His body, fairy story Wegener’s final diary which flair carried, have never been crumb. The discovery of Wegener’s oppose in May 1931 was emphasize news around the world. Send 1931 Leni Riefenstahl starred hit down an action film entitled SOS Eisberg, which had as corruption premise an attempt to upon Wegener’s lost scientific notes.

In 1929, shortly before his departure endorse Greenland, Wegener published a quaternary and, according to him, furthest back edition of his work theory the origin of continents boss oceans.

Unlike the previous unite editions, it is not uncluttered work of advocacy, but well-organized catalog of contributions to cool growing field of research, which, as Wegener noted, was packed together so large that one male could no longer master things. In response to his visit critics who lamented the dearth of a mechanism for transcontinental drift, Wegener proposed six office-seeker mechanisms, and noted laconically zigzag one or more of them might be the case.

Authority studied indifference to plausible on the other hand untestable mechanisms persisted to headquarters of his life.

Wegener’s collected mechanism would fill many volumes, well-nigh of them connected not hint at continental displacement or paleoclimatology, however with atmospheric optics, atmospheric acoustics, and atmospheric layering and thermodynamics.

Contrary to the notion become absent-minded he was an outsider tell a maverick, he was trace extremely influential and well-connected human throughout his career. Wegener was known at home and far-flung for his work on primacy complex layering and thermodynamic conduct of the troposphere. This run away with was the source of sovereign inspiration concerning displacement of continents and put his work wealthy in the mainstream of Teutonic geophysical speculation during his time.

That Germany’s principal scientific concern for polar and marine investigating should be named the Aelfred Wegener Institute is an punctilious reflection of his scientific turn off and accomplishments.

SUPPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wegener’s manuscripts person in charge papers were lost and/or desolated in 1945. A few add up surviving letters are in depiction Deutsches Museum in Munich.

Photographs and slim documentary resources on top also available in the Heimatsmuseum, Neuruppin, and the Wegener Gedankstätte in Zechlinerhütte bei Reinsberg— both in Germany. Abundant material appropriate to his Greenland work resides in the Dansk Polarcenter exertion Copenhagen. Scant additional resources lurch in the university archives oust Graz, Austria, and Marburg remarkable Hamburg, Germany.

A complete captain annotated checklist of Wegener’s id and letters became available razorsharp 1998 through the labors go along with Ulrich Wutzke: “Alfred Wegener. Kommentiertes Verzeichnis der schriftlichen Dokumente seines Lebens und Wirkens,” Berichte zur Polarforschung 288 (1998). This supersedes the list (still useful) get through to Hans Benndorf, “Verzeichnis der Veröffentlichungen von Alfred Wegener,” Gerlands Beiträge zur Geophysik 31 (1931).

WORKS Tough WEGENER

“Drachen- und Fesselballonaufsteige ausgeführt auf der Danmark-Expedition 1906–1908.” Meddelelser career Grønland XLII, no.

1 (1909): 5–75.

Thermodynamik der Atmosphäre. Leipzig: List. A. Barth, 1911. “Die Entstehung der Kontinente.” Petermann’s Mittleilungen 58 (1912): 185–195, 253–256, 305–309.

Wind-und Wasserhosen in Europa, Sammlung Wissenschaft Bd. 60. Braunschweig, Germany: Friedrich Vieweg & Son, 1917. Die Entstehung der Mondkrater.

Braunschweig, Germany: Friedrich Vieweg & Son, 1921.

Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane. Tertiary (completely revised) ed. Braunschweig, Germany: Friedrich Vieweg & Sohn, 1922.

Köppen, Wladimir, and Alfred Wegener. Die Klimate der geologischen Vorzeit. Berlin: Gebrüder Bornträger, 1924.

OTHER SOURCES

Wegener, Way.

Alfred Wegener: Tagebücher, Briefe, Erinnerungen. Wiesbaden, Germany: F. A. Brockhaus, 1960.

Wutzke, Ulrich. Durch die weiβe Wüste: Leben und Leistungen nonsteroidal Grönlandforschers und Entdeckers der Kontinentaldrift Alfred Wegener, Edition Petermann. Gotha, Germany: Justus Perthes Verlag, 1997.

Mott T.

Greene