François-Alphonse Forel
Encyclopedia
François-Alphonse Forel (February 2, 1841 - August 7, 1912) was a Swiss
scientist who pioneered the study of lake
s, and is thus considered the founder of limnology
.
Born in Morges
on Lake Geneva
, he worked as a professor of medicine
at the University of Lausanne
.
But his real love was the lake; his investigations of biology
, chemistry
, water circulation, and sedimentation
, and most importantly their interactions, established the foundation of a new discipline. In his chief work, Le Léman, published in three volumes between 1892 and 1904, he named his activity limnology in analogy with oceanography
("limnography" could have been confused with the limnograph, which measures water level in lakes).
He discovered the phenomenon of density currents in lakes, and explained seiche
s, the rhythmic oscillations observed in enclosed waters.
In collaboration with Wilhelm Ule, developed the Forel-Ule scale
, used to evaluate the colour of a body of water. In a totally different field, in cooperation with the Italian seismologist Michele Stefano de Rossi, he developed the Rossi-Forel scale
to describe the intensity of an earthquake.
The Institute F.-A. Forel of the University of Geneva
is named after Forel.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
scientist who pioneered the study of lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s, and is thus considered the founder of limnology
Limnology
Limnology , also called freshwater science, is the study of inland waters. It is often regarded as a division of ecology or environmental science. It covers the biological, chemical, physical, geological, and other attributes of all inland waters...
.
Born in Morges
Morges
Morges is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the district of Morges and is also the seat of the district.-History:...
on Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
, he worked as a professor of medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at the University of Lausanne
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of theology, before being made a university in 1890. Today about 12,000 students and 2200 researchers study and work at the university...
.
But his real love was the lake; his investigations of biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, water circulation, and sedimentation
Sedimentation
Sedimentation is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained, and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration...
, and most importantly their interactions, established the foundation of a new discipline. In his chief work, Le Léman, published in three volumes between 1892 and 1904, he named his activity limnology in analogy with oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
("limnography" could have been confused with the limnograph, which measures water level in lakes).
He discovered the phenomenon of density currents in lakes, and explained seiche
Seiche
A seiche is a standing wave in an enclosed or partially enclosed body of water. Seiches and seiche-related phenomena have been observed on lakes, reservoirs, swimming pools, bays, harbors and seas...
s, the rhythmic oscillations observed in enclosed waters.
In collaboration with Wilhelm Ule, developed the Forel-Ule scale
Forel-Ule scale
The Forel-Ule Scale is a method to approximately determine the color of bodies of water, used in limnology and oceanography. By means of mixing different chemical a color palette is produced in a series of numerically designated vials which is compared with the...
, used to evaluate the colour of a body of water. In a totally different field, in cooperation with the Italian seismologist Michele Stefano de Rossi, he developed the Rossi-Forel scale
Rossi-Forel scale
The Rossi–Forel scale was one of the first seismic scales to reflect earthquake intensities. Developed by Michele Stefano Conte de Rossi of Italy and François-Alphonse Forel of Switzerland in the late 19th century, it was used for about two decades until the introduction of the Mercalli intensity...
to describe the intensity of an earthquake.
The Institute F.-A. Forel of the University of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
is named after Forel.