Albert Defant
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Albert Joseph Maria Defant (July 12, 1884, Trient – December 24, 1974, Innsbruck) was an Austrian meteorologist, oceanographer and climatologist. He published fundamental works on the physics of the atmosphere and ocean and is regarded as one of the founders of physical oceanography.


Early life and academic work

Albert Defant was born in Trient when this was then part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
. Defant went to schools in Trient and Innsbruck and then studied mathematics, physics, and geophysics at the
University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (; ) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. It is the largest education facility in the Austrian States of Austria, ...
in Austria from 1902.G. Böhnecke, 1976. In memoriam Albert Defant 1884-1974. "Meteor Forschungsergebnisse." Reihe A., Allgemeines, Physik und Chemie des Meeres, no. 18:1-8.Gerold Siedler, 2007. Defant, Albert Josef Maria. In: Koertge, N. (ed.), New Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, vol.2, 263-267. He received his PhD at Innsbruck University in 1906 with a thesis on raindrop sizes. He started working at the Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik (
Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics The Central Institution for Meteorology and Geodynamics (, ZAMG) is the national meteorological and geophysical service of Austria. It is a subordinate agency of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. The ZAMG headquarters ar ...
) in Vienna, Austria in 1907. He obtained his Habilitation (degree permitting to teach at the university) at Vienna University in 1909 A. Pichler, 1978. Albert Defant zum Gedenken, Innsbrucker Universitätsnachrichten VIII (In memory of Albert Defant). with a thesis on water level changes of
Lake Garda Lake Garda (, , or , ; ; ) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, between Brescia and Milan to the west, and Verona and Venice to the east. The lake cuts into the edge of the Eastern Alps, Italian Alp ...
. Defant stayed at the Zentralanstalt until 1918, working mostly on problems of atmospheric physics, in particular in mountain ranges. He also gained experience in applied
weather forecasting Weather forecasting or weather prediction is the application of science and technology forecasting, to predict the conditions of the Earth's atmosphere, atmosphere for a given location and time. People have attempted to predict the weather info ...
. During the later years of that period, he mainly focused on large-scale atmospheric circulation and on water level changes in lakes and adjacent seas, in particular
tides Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...
and seiches. Defant was Professor of Cosmic Physics (corresponding to meteorology and geophysics) at Innsbruck University from 1919 to 1926.H. Oberkofler, P. Goller, 1991. Albert Defant (1919-1926 und 1945-1953), Forschungen zur Innsbrucker Universitätsgeschichte, 16, Universität Innsbruck. During that time he was able to show that large-scale structures in the atmosphere can provide meridional heat transport from tropical to high latitudes.Albert Defant, 1921. Die Zirkulation der Atmosphäre in den gemäßigten Breiten der Erde (Grundzüge einer Theorie der Klimaschwankungen.) Geografiska Ann. 3, 209-266 (The circulation at mid-latitude zones of the earth).Albert Defant, 1922. Die meridionale Temperaturverteilung auf der Erde und der Massenaustausch zwischen Äquator und Pol. Meteor. Z.(The meridional distribution of temperature on the earth and the mass exchange between equator and pole).S. Brönnimann, F. Frei, 2008. Defant’s work on North Atlantic climate variability revisited. Meteor. Z., 17, 1, 93-102. By that time he was also rated as an expert on tides, and he was invited to participate in two cruises of the German survey vessel "Panther" in the North Sea in 1925 and 1926. Defant was Professor of Oceanography at the "Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität" (later
Humboldt University The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public university, public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III of Prussia, Frederick W ...
) and also Director of the "Institut and Museum für Meereskunde" (Institute and Museum of Marine Science) in Berlin from 1926 to 1945. This institute was the leading institution of marine research in Germany at that time. The famous
German Meteor expedition The German Meteor expedition ( German: ''Deutsche Atlantik Expedition'') was an oceanographic expedition that explored the South Atlantic ocean from the equatorial region to Antarctica in 1925–1927. Depth soundings, water temperature studies, w ...
(1925-1926) had been started in 1925. The chief scientist Alfred Merz unfortunately died in Buenos Aires in 1925, and Albert Defant took over the task of Merz from 1926 to 1927.F. Spiess, 1928. Die Meteor-Fahrt. Forschungen und Erlebnisse der Deutschen Atlantischen Expedition 1925-1927. Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin. Translated by Emery, W.J., 1985. The Meteor Expedition – Scientific Results of the German Atlantic Expedition, 1925-1927. Amerind Publishing, New Delhi. His later work in Berlin focused on the physics of the ocean, in particular on the upper ocean and its boundary to the atmosphere.H. Thorade, 1944. A. Defant sechzig Jahre alt. Die Naturwissenschaften, 32, 27/39, 165-166 (A.Defant sixty years old). International relations were important for him, particularly to Scandinavian scientists. These contacts were interrupted by World War II. Defant stayed in Berlin until the bomb strikes stopped the scientific work. The institute’s library had been evacuated to Wunsiedel in central Germany, and Defant did some teaching in Vienna and scientific work in Wunsiedel until the end of the war. The University of Innsbruck (now an Austrian city again) offered him the Chair of
Meteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agricultur ...
and
Geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...
in 1945, and he was Professor and Director of the Institute for Meteorology and Geophysics at Innsbruck University until 1955. He accepted a visiting appointment at the
Scripps Institution of Oceanography Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is the center for oceanography and Earth science at the University of California, San Diego. Its main campus is located in La Jolla, with additional facilities in Point Loma. Founded in 1903 and incorpo ...
of the University of California in San Diego in 1949-1950. He was Rektor (president) of Innsbruck University in 1950-1951. After his retirement in 1955 he repeatedly worked as visiting professor, during 1952-1956 at the
University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (, also referred to as UHH) is a public university, public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('':de:Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen, ...
, Germany, and during 1956-1958 at the
Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in West Berlin in 1948 with American support during the early Cold War period a ...
. Between these stays he was also hosted by the
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (, SMHI) is a Swedish government agency and operates under the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise. SMHI has expertise within the areas of meteorology, hydrology and oceanography, and has exte ...
in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1957-1958.


Family

Albert Defant was married to Maria Krepper in 1909, and the couple had three children. The meteorologist Friedrich Defant is his son. His wife died in 1949, and he married Maria Theresia Schletterer in 1952.


Awards

* "Ludwig Haitinger Preis" der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien, Österreich (" Haitinger Prize" of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria) * 1917 Österreichisches Verdienstkreuz in Gold, Wien, Österreich (National Decoration in Gold awarded for services to the community, Vienna, Austria) * 1928 "Alfred Ackermann-Teubner-Gedächtnispreis" zur Förderung der Mathematischen Wissenschaften, Leipzig, Deutschland ("Alfred Ackermann-Teubner Memorial Medal" promoting mathematical sciences, Leipzig, Germany)F. Steinhauser, 1975. Zum Gedenken an Albert Defant. Almanach der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 125. Archiv für Meteorologie, Geophysik und Bioklimatologie, Serie A, 24(4), p. 385-388 (In memory of Albert Defant). * 1932 "Vega-Medaille" der Schwedischen Gesellschaft für Anthropologie und Geographie, Stockholm, Schweden ("Vega Medal" of the
Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography The Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography (SSAG; ) is a scientific learned society founded in December 1877. It was established after a rearrangement of various sections of the Anthropological Society, which was formed in 1873 by Hjalmar ...
, Stockholm, Sweden) * 1933 Golden " Alexander Agassiz Medal" of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., USA * 1935 "Galathea Medaillon" of the Royal Danish Geographical Society, Copenhagen, Denmark * 1943 "Arrhenius-Preis" der Universität Leipzig, Deutschland ("Arrhenius Award" of Leipzig University, Germany) * 1947 "Honorary Ring" of the Austrian Society of the United Nations League, Vienna, AustriaA. Pichler, 1985. Albert-Defant-Gedächtniskolloquium. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Meteorologischen Gesellschaft, Heft 1/85, 59-62 (Albert Defant memorial colloquium). * 1956 "Emil-Wiechert-Medaille" der Deutschen Geophysikalischen Gesellschaft ("Emil Wiechert Medal" of the
German Geophysical Society The German Geophysical Society (, DGG) is a german scientific association with the aim of promoting geophysics in research, teaching and application. It was founded in Leipzig in 1922 on the initiative of seismology professor Emil Wiechert, initi ...
). * 1957 Ehrendoktor der Freien Universität Berlin, Deutschland (Honorary Doctor at the Free University of Berlin) * 1962 Orden "
Pour le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...
für Wissenschaften und Künste" (Order "Pour le mérite for sciences and arts"), Germany * 1963 "Joachim-Jungius-Medaille", Joachim Jungius-Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften, Hamburg, Deutschland ("Joachim Jungius Medal", Joachim-Jungius Society of Sciences, Hamburg, Germany) * 1974 "Goldene Jubiläumsmedaille" der Universität Innsbruck, Österreich ("Golden Anniversary Medal", Innsbruck University, Austria) * 1974 Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst, Wien, Österreich (Austrian Honorary Medal for Science and Art, Vienna, Austria) * 1975 (posthum) Golden Honorary Medal of the Oceanographic Society of Japan, Tokyo, Japan


Honorary memberships

* 1926 Naturwissenschaftlich-Medizinischer Verein, Innsbruck, Österreich (Society of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Innsbruck, Austria) * 1939 Pommersche Geographische Gesellschaft, Greifswald, Deutschland (Pomeranian Geographical Society, Greifswald, Germany) * 1939 Russische Geographische Gesellschaft, Leningrad, Russland (Russian Geographical Society, Leningrad, Russia) * 1939
Royal Dutch Geographical Society The Royal Dutch Geographical Society ( Dutch:''Koninklijk Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap''; KNAG) is an organization of geographers and those interested in geography in The Netherlands. It has about 4000 members and sponsors lectures on g ...
, Amsterdam, the Netherlands * 1949
New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), originally founded as the Lyceum of Natural History in January 1817, is a nonprofit professional society based in New York City, with more than 20,000 members from 100 countries. It is the fourth-oldes ...
, New York, USA * 1956 Deutsche Wissenschaftliche Kommission für Meeresforschung (German scientific commission for marine research)


Memberships in professional societies

* 1919 Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina (German
Academy of Sciences Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (), in short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded on 1 January 1652, based on academic models in Italy, it was originally named the ''Academi ...
) * 1935 Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Berlin, Deutschland (Prussian Academy of Sciences, Berlin, Germany) * 1935 Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Deutschland (Academy of Sciences in Göttingen, Germany) * 1939 Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien, Österreich (
Austrian Academy of Sciences The Austrian Academy of Sciences (; ÖAW) is a legal entity under the special protection of the Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every fi ...
, Vienna, Austria) * 1939 Royal Academy of Sciences, Göteborg, Sweden * 1942 Finnish Academy of Sciences, Helsinki, Finland * 1945
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for promoting nat ...
, Stockholm, Sweden * 1951 Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, München, Deutschland (
Bavarian Academy of Sciences The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities () is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledge within their subject. The general goal of th ...
, Munich, Germany) * 1964
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick University in Christiania was establis ...
, Oslo, Norway * 1964
Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur The Academy of Sciences and Literature () is a scientific academy in Mainz, Germany. It was established in 1949 on an initiative of Alfred Döblin. The academy's goal is to support science and literature, and in doing so to help preserve and pr ...
Mainz, Deutschland (Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz, Germany)


Bibliography

Albert Defant published 222 papers and 12 books. A selection is given in the following. * Defant, A., 1921. Die Zirkulation der Atmosphäre in den gemäßigten Breiten der Erde (Grundzüge einer Theorie der Klimaschwankungen.) Geografiska Ann. 3, 209-266 (The circulation at mid-latitude zones of the earth). * Defant, A., 1922. Die meridionale Temperaturverteilung auf der Erde und der Massenaustausch zwischen Äquator und Pol. Meteor. Z. (The meridional distribution of temperature on the earth and the mass exchange between equator and pole). * Defant, A., 1925. Gezeitenprobleme des Meeres in Landnähe, Probleme der Kosmischen Physik, Bd. 6. H. Grand, Hamburg (Problems of tides of the sea near the land). * Defant, A., 1926. Wetter und Wettervorhersage. Fr. Deutike, Wien, erste Auflage 1918, zweite Auflage (Weather and weather forecast). * Defant, A., 1928. Lufthülle und Klima. Enzyklopädie der Erdkunde. FR. Deutike, Wien (Atmosphere and climate). * Defant, A., 1928 . "Statik und Dynamik der Atmosphäre. In Handbuch der Experimentalphysik, Geophysik, vol.1, Wien und Harms, Leipzig (Statics and dynamics of the atmosphere). * Defant, A., 1928 (korr. 1931). "Physik des Meeres". In Handbuch der Experimentalphysik, Geophysik, Band 2, Wien und Harms, Leipzig (Physics of the sea). * Defant, A., 1929. Dynamische Ozeanographie. - Einführung in die Geophysik, Bd. 3. J. Springer, Berlin (Dynamic oceanography). * Defant, A., 1932. Ebbe und Flut des Meeres. In: "Meereskunde. Sammlung volkstümlicher Vorträge", Institut für Meereskunde, Berlin, Band 18, 7, Heft 203 (Ebb and high tide of the sea). * Defant, A., 1936. Schichtung und Zirkulation des Atlantischen Ozeans - Die Troposphäre. Wiss.Ergebn. Deutsch. Atlant. Exp. "Meteor" 1925 - 27, Bd. VI.(1), Lfg. 3, Berlin. Translated by Emery, W.J., 1981. Stratification and Circulation of the Atlantic Ocean - The Troposphere. Scientific Results of the German Atlantic Expedition of the Research Vessel "Meteor" 1925 – 27, Vol.VI, Part 1, Al-Ahram Center for Scientific Translations, Cairo. * Defant, A., Böhnecke, G., und Wattenberg, H., 1936. Die ozeanographischen Arbeiten des Vermessungs-Schiffes "Meteor" in der Dänemarkstraße und in der Irmingersee in den Jahren 1929, 1930, 1933 und 1935. l. Teil. Veröff. d. Inst. f. Meereskunde, Berlin (The oceanographic work of the survey ship „Meteor“ in the Denmark Strait and the Irminger Sea during the years 1929, 1930, 1933 and 1935). * Defant, A., Hg. mit Hans Frebold, 1942. Der Einfluss des Reflexionsvermögens von Wasser und Eis auf den Wärmeumsatz der Polargebiete. Reihe: Veröffentlichungen des Deutschen Wissenschaftlichen Instituts DWI zu Kopenhagen. Reihe 1: Arktis. Nr. 5 Gebrüder Borntraeger, Berlin (The influence of the reflectivity of water and ice on the heat budget of polar regions). * Defant, A., 1943. Die Gezeiten der festen Erde, des Meeres und der Atmosphäre. - Preuß. Akad. d. Wissenschaften, Vorträge u. Schriften H. 10 (The tides of the solid earth, the sea and the atmosphere). * Defant, A., 1951. Die Geophysik und ihre Stellung im Rahmen der übrigen Naturwissenschaften. — Rektorinaugurationsrede, Universität Innsbruck (Geophysics and its rank among the other natural sciences). * Defant, A., 1953. Ebbe und Flut des Meeres, der Atmosphäre und der Erdfeste. Verständliche Wissenschaft, Bd. 49. Springer-Verlag, Berlin u. Heidelberg 1953, 2. Aufl. (Ebb and high tide of the sea, the atmosphere and the solid earth). * Defant, A., 1957. Flutwellen und Gezeiten des Wassers. In Encyclopedia of Physics, vol. 48, Geophysics II. Springer-Verlag, Berlin und Heidelberg (Tidal waves and tides of the water). * Defant, A., F. Defant, 1957. Atmosphärische Dynamik. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt a. M. (Atmospheric dynamics). * Defant, A., Defant, F., 1958. Physikalische Dynamik der Atmosphäre, Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt, 527 p. (Physical dynamics of the atmosphere). * Defant, A., 1960. Ebb and Flow. In Ann Arbor Sciences Library, The University Press of Michigan, first edition 1958, second edition. * Defant, A., 1961. Physical Oceanography. Pergamon Press, New York, London, Paris, Vol.II, 1960, Vol.I.


See also

* Defant Bank


References


Sources

* Spiess, F., 1928. Die Meteor-Fahrt. Forschungen und Erlebnisse der Deutschen Atlantischen Expedition 1925–1927. Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin. * Neumann, G., 1944. Professor Dr. A. Defant zum 60. Geburtstag. Annalen der Hydrographie und maritimen Meteorologie 72, no. 7:219–221. * Thorade, H., 1944. A. Defant sechzig Jahre alt. Die Naturwissenschaften, 32, 27/39, 165–166. * Festschrift to 70th birthday, Archiv für Meteorologie, Geophysik und Bioklimatologie, 1954 * Wüst, G., 1964. Albert Defant achtzig Jahre alt. Die Naturwissenschaften 51, 301–302. * Wüst, G., 1964. Albert Defant zum 80. Geburtstag. Beiträge zur Physik der Atmosphäre 37, no. 2: 59–68. * Steinhauser, F., 1975. Albert Defant. Almanach der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 125. * Böhnecke, G., 1976. In memoriam Albert Defant 1884–1974. "Meteor Forschungsergebnisse." Reihe A., Allgemeines, Physik und Chemie des Meeres, no. 18:1–8. * Pichler, A., 1978. Albert Defant zum Gedenken (In memory of Albert Defant), Innsbrucker Universitätsnachrichten VIII. * Pichler, A., 1985. Albert-Defant-Gedächtniskolloquium. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Meteorologischen Gesellschaft, Heft 1/85, 59–62. * Weidemann, H., 1985. Albert Defant, 1884–1974. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Meeresforschung Mitteilungen 1, 22–24. * Oberkofler, H.; Goller, P. 1991. Forschungen zur Innsbrucker Universitätsgeschichte, 16, Universität Innsbruck. * Siedler, G., 2007. Defant, Albert Josef Maria. In: Koertge, N. (ed.), New Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, vol.2, 263–267. * Brönnimann, S.; Frei, F., 2008. Defant’s work on North Atlantic climate variability revisited. Meteor. Z., 17, 1, 93–102.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Defant, Albert 1884 births 1974 deaths Austrian meteorologists Austrian oceanographers Academic staff of the Free University of Berlin Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences People from Trento Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) Academic staff of the University of Hamburg University of Innsbruck alumni Academic staff of the University of Innsbruck