German Meteor expedition
Encyclopedia
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, water samples, studies of marine life and atmospheric observations were conducted.
left Wilhelmshaven
on 16 April 1925 with the oceanographer Alfred Merz
in charge of the expedition.
The ship zigzaged between Africa
and South America
and took cross sections of the South Atlantic between 20° North and 60° South. In January 1926 the Strait of Magellan
was transited; in March the same year a seamount
was found and named Meteor Bank (48°16′S 08°16′E).
In June 1926 Merz, who already had health problems before the start of the expedition, was hospitalised at the German Hospital in Buenos Aires. He died of pneumonia
on 25 August 1926. The overall lead of the expedition was assumed by the ship's captain
Fritz Spieß, while Georg Wüst
became chief oceanographer.
The expedition returned to Wilhelmshaven on 2 June 1927. In the course of the venture 67,000 depth soundings were made, more than 67,000 nautical mile
s were sailed and more than 800 weather balloon
s were launched.
equipment with which it produced the first detailed survey of the south Atlantic ocean floor. The survey established that the mid-Atlantic ridge
was continuous through the South Atlantic and continued into the Indian Ocean
beyond Cape of Good Hope
.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Deutsche Atlantik Expedition) was an oceanographic
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
expedition that explored the South Atlantic ocean from the equatorial region to Antarctica in 1925–1927. Depth soundings, water temperature studies, water samples, studies of marine life and atmospheric observations were conducted.
Expedition
The survey vessel MeteorMeteor (1915)
The Meteor was a German survey vessel, that became famous for her survey work in the Atlantic Ocean between 1925 and 1927.- Design and Construction :...
left Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
on 16 April 1925 with the oceanographer Alfred Merz
Alfred Merz
Alfred Merz was an Austrian geographer, oceanographer and director of the Institute of Marine Science in Berlin. He died in Buenos Aires while on an expedition to survey the South Atlantic and is buried in Perchtoldsdorf...
in charge of the expedition.
The ship zigzaged between Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and took cross sections of the South Atlantic between 20° North and 60° South. In January 1926 the Strait of Magellan
Strait of Magellan
The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego...
was transited; in March the same year a seamount
Seamount
A seamount is a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface , and thus is not an island. These are typically formed from extinct volcanoes, that rise abruptly and are usually found rising from a seafloor of depth. They are defined by oceanographers as...
was found and named Meteor Bank (48°16′S 08°16′E).
In June 1926 Merz, who already had health problems before the start of the expedition, was hospitalised at the German Hospital in Buenos Aires. He died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on 25 August 1926. The overall lead of the expedition was assumed by the ship's captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Fritz Spieß, while Georg Wüst
Georg Wüst
Georg Adolf Otto Wüst was a German oceanographer known for his work on the Atlantic Ocean.Wüst got his doctorate in 1919 at the University of Berlin. In 1925 he joined the German Atlantic expedition on the survey vessel Meteor...
became chief oceanographer.
The expedition returned to Wilhelmshaven on 2 June 1927. In the course of the venture 67,000 depth soundings were made, more than 67,000 nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s were sailed and more than 800 weather balloon
Weather balloon
A weather or sounding balloon is a balloon which carries instruments aloft to send back information on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed by means of a small, expendable measuring device called a radiosonde...
s were launched.
Results
The Meteor was equipped with early sonarSonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
equipment with which it produced the first detailed survey of the south Atlantic ocean floor. The survey established that the mid-Atlantic ridge
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. It separates the Eurasian Plate and North American Plate in the North Atlantic, and the African Plate from the South...
was continuous through the South Atlantic and continued into the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
beyond Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
.