Hans Ertel
Encyclopedia
Hans Ertel was a German
natural scientist
and a pioneer in geophysics
, meteorology
and hydrodynamics.
and Albert Defant) had formative influence on him and gave him their lasting support. Ertel continued the works of Felix Maria von Exner-Ewarten
, a leading theoretical meteorologist of his time who lived in Vienna
, and he completed many of them. He developed into a capable theoretical physicist early on and he was already to publish research results or theoretical approaches in this subject as a young man. Ertel's famous vorticity equation of 1942 belongs today to the basic work of modern geophysics
and astrophysics
.
In 1943, he was given the position of professor for meteorology and geophysics at the University of Innsbruck, and he also attended lectures by Arnold Sommerfeld
. After Second World War, Ertel was interested in a professorship for geophysics at the University of Munich, but was instead appointed to professor for geophysics at Berlin University in 1946, where he also become the director of the Institute for Meteorology and Geophysics which belonged to the university.
At the invitation of various scientists, such as Hilding Köhler, Markus Barth and Carl-Gustav Rossby, with whom he also maintained long friendships, Ertel held lectures at Stockholm University
and Uppsala University
in Sweden
and took part in congresses, thereby creating a good reputation for his field of research at the Berlin University.
As a member of the Deutschen Akademie der Wisschaften zu Berlin, (German Academy of Sciences Berlin
), or DAW, Ertel founded and led the Institute for Physical Hydrography of this academy as of 1948. In 1949, Ertel was elected to be a full member of the DAW and was its vice president from 1951 to 1961. During this time, he saw to the founding of some new academy institutes, and also ensured that all of Germany could participate during the International Geophysical Year
s (1957/58 and 1958/59).
The research on geo-ecology, which began under his leadership at the Institute, is considered to be pioneering work today. The following areas of emphasis in research from his time as leader of the Institute enriched scientific knowledge and the subject areas to a great degree:
The results of his work were regularly published in specialized international and national magazines (e.g., the Monthly Reports of the German Academy of Sciences), as well as in the magazine of the Institute, Acta Hydrophysica, and soon led to a high reputation for himself and for his institute.Wilfried Schröder has edited the works by Hans Ertel in 8 volumes during the years 1991-2006.
Even beyond his institute, Ertel made sure that the magazines, Gerlands Beiträge zur Geophysik, Zeitschrift für Meteorologie and Forschungen und Fortschritte appeared and he collaborated on the Deutschen Literaturzeitschrift himself. Furthermore, he held guest lectures abroad, especially at conferences, participated in research trips and supported international projects.
Personally, Ertel was concerned with coastal protection, theoretical geomorphology, meteorological problems and cosmology
.
Between 1991 and 2006, Wilfried Schröder published Collected Works of Hans Ertel, seven volumes in all, Science Edition, Bremen.
A commemorative work appeared on the 100th anniversary of his birth with the title, "Meteorological and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics", published by Wilfried Schröder, with contributions by internationally renowned scientists, Science Edition, Bremen.
His geophysical works on hydrodynamics appeared as Ertel Collected Works "Geophysical Fluid Dynamics", published by Wilfried Schröder, Science Edition, Bremen, 2004.
Commemorative articles on Hans Ertel by Wilfried Schröder appeared in EOS (2004), WMO Bulletin (2004), as well as in a review in Idöjaras (Budapest, 2004).
A biography of Hans Ertel by Wilfried Schröder was published in the magazine of the Royal Meteorological Society
, "Weather", in 1999.
An article on the life and work of Hans Ertel, also by Wilfried Schröder, is also contained in "Dictionary of Scientific Biographies".
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
natural scientist
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
and a pioneer in geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
, meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
and hydrodynamics.
Life and work
Hans Ertel began his scientific career at the former Preußischen Meteorologischen Institut (Prussian Meteorological Institute), where the representatives of the Austrian school of meteorology, (Heinrich von FickerHeinrich von Ficker
Heinrich von Ficker was a German-Austrian meteorologist and geophysicist who was a native of Munich. He was the son of historian Julius von Ficker .-Career:...
and Albert Defant) had formative influence on him and gave him their lasting support. Ertel continued the works of Felix Maria von Exner-Ewarten
Felix Maria von Exner-Ewarten
Felix Maria von Exner-Ewarten was an Austrian meteorologist and geophysicist.His son Christof Exner was a professor of geology in Vienna.- External links :...
, a leading theoretical meteorologist of his time who lived in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and he completed many of them. He developed into a capable theoretical physicist early on and he was already to publish research results or theoretical approaches in this subject as a young man. Ertel's famous vorticity equation of 1942 belongs today to the basic work of modern geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
and astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
.
In 1943, he was given the position of professor for meteorology and geophysics at the University of Innsbruck, and he also attended lectures by Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld was a German theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics, and also educated and groomed a large number of students for the new era of theoretical physics...
. After Second World War, Ertel was interested in a professorship for geophysics at the University of Munich, but was instead appointed to professor for geophysics at Berlin University in 1946, where he also become the director of the Institute for Meteorology and Geophysics which belonged to the university.
At the invitation of various scientists, such as Hilding Köhler, Markus Barth and Carl-Gustav Rossby, with whom he also maintained long friendships, Ertel held lectures at Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
and Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and took part in congresses, thereby creating a good reputation for his field of research at the Berlin University.
As a member of the Deutschen Akademie der Wisschaften zu Berlin, (German Academy of Sciences Berlin
German Academy of Sciences Berlin
The German Academy of Sciences at Berlin , later renamed Academy of Sciences of the German Democratic Republic was the most important research institution of East Germany.The academy was founded in 1946 by the Soviet Military Administration in Germany to continue the long tradition of the...
), or DAW, Ertel founded and led the Institute for Physical Hydrography of this academy as of 1948. In 1949, Ertel was elected to be a full member of the DAW and was its vice president from 1951 to 1961. During this time, he saw to the founding of some new academy institutes, and also ensured that all of Germany could participate during the International Geophysical Year
International Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
s (1957/58 and 1958/59).
The research on geo-ecology, which began under his leadership at the Institute, is considered to be pioneering work today. The following areas of emphasis in research from his time as leader of the Institute enriched scientific knowledge and the subject areas to a great degree:
- physical hydrography (more than 60 works)
- theoretical hydrodynamics
- turbulence
- special hydrodynamics of the northern German seas and coasts
- hydraulic nomographyNomogramA nomogram, nomograph, or abac is a graphical calculating device developed by P.E. Elyasberg, a two-dimensional diagram designed to allow the approximate graphical computation of a function: it uses a coordinate system other than Cartesian coordinates...
- hydrographic cartographyCartographyCartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
- the history of European weather
- theoretical mechanics (as of 1960)
The results of his work were regularly published in specialized international and national magazines (e.g., the Monthly Reports of the German Academy of Sciences), as well as in the magazine of the Institute, Acta Hydrophysica, and soon led to a high reputation for himself and for his institute.Wilfried Schröder has edited the works by Hans Ertel in 8 volumes during the years 1991-2006.
Even beyond his institute, Ertel made sure that the magazines, Gerlands Beiträge zur Geophysik, Zeitschrift für Meteorologie and Forschungen und Fortschritte appeared and he collaborated on the Deutschen Literaturzeitschrift himself. Furthermore, he held guest lectures abroad, especially at conferences, participated in research trips and supported international projects.
Personally, Ertel was concerned with coastal protection, theoretical geomorphology, meteorological problems and cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
.
Selected publications
The following publications are in the Academy Library of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences:- Oceanography and Hydrography (Hans Ertel) – Bremen (among others): AKGGP/SHGCP, Science Ed., 2006
- Geophysical Hydrodynamics and Ertel's Potential Vorticity (Hans Ertel) – Bremen: Rönnebeck, 1991
- Eine Beziehung zwischen dem Wirbel, der Wirbelbeschleunigung und dem Beschleunigungspotential in Strömungsfeldern perfekter, inkompressibler Flüssigkeiten: essay by Hans Ertel
- Stationäre Triftströme im Ozean bei inhomogener Tangentialspannung des Windes: essay by Hans Ertel
- Kinematik und Dynamik formbeständig wandernder Transversaldünen: essay by Hans Ertel
- Litorale Abrasion und küstenparalleler Sinkstoff-Transport: essay by Hans Ertel
- Die Nullfläche der Tangentialspannung in Seen bei stationärem Windstau: essay by Hans Ertel
- Theorie und Verteilung des Salzgehalts an der Meeresoberfläche als Funktion der Verdunstung und des Niederschlags: essay by Hans Ertel
- Eine Beziehung zwischen den Nullflächen der Geschwindigkeit und der Tangentialspannung in Seen bei stationärem Windstau: essay by Hans Ertel
Between 1991 and 2006, Wilfried Schröder published Collected Works of Hans Ertel, seven volumes in all, Science Edition, Bremen.
A commemorative work appeared on the 100th anniversary of his birth with the title, "Meteorological and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics", published by Wilfried Schröder, with contributions by internationally renowned scientists, Science Edition, Bremen.
His geophysical works on hydrodynamics appeared as Ertel Collected Works "Geophysical Fluid Dynamics", published by Wilfried Schröder, Science Edition, Bremen, 2004.
Commemorative articles on Hans Ertel by Wilfried Schröder appeared in EOS (2004), WMO Bulletin (2004), as well as in a review in Idöjaras (Budapest, 2004).
A biography of Hans Ertel by Wilfried Schröder was published in the magazine of the Royal Meteorological Society
Royal Meteorological Society
The Royal Meteorological Society traces its origins back to 3 April 1850 when the British Meteorological Society was formed as a society the objects of which should be the advancement and extension of meteorological science by determining the laws of climate and of meteorological phenomena in general...
, "Weather", in 1999.
An article on the life and work of Hans Ertel, also by Wilfried Schröder, is also contained in "Dictionary of Scientific Biographies".
External links
- http://verplant.org/history-geophysics/hans_ertel.htm