ALFRED WEGENER: BIOGRAPHY, PLATE THEORY, OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) was a geophysicist and meteorologist born in Germany in 1880. Although he specialized in the second discipline, his main contribution was his theory on plate tectonics and continental drift.

Wegener, after observing the shape of the continents and studying physical findings found as far away as Africa and America, came to the conclusion that the plates that make up the earth's crust did not remain static. From his studies he came to the conclusion that, millions of years ago, there had been only one continent: Pangea.

Prof. Dr. Alfred Wegener, ca. 1924-1930. Source: Bildarchiv Photo Marburg Aufnahme-Nr. 426,294

Later, the lands that formed that supercontinent were separated, until they formed the continents that are known today. This theory was not well received. His calculations on the movement of the plates were not very precise and it took several years for some of his work to be confirmed.

Apart from this contribution, Wegener was also a prominent meteorologist. He made several expeditions to Greenland and broke the record of the time by staying in a balloon in flight for fifty-two and a half hours.

Biography

Alfred Wegener was born in Berlin on November 1, 1880, the youngest of five siblings. His father was a Lutheran theologian and pastor, in addition to working as a teacher of classical languages ​​at the Berlin Gymnasium Graue Kloster.

Early years

The young Wegener studied high school in his city, in the Neukölln district. Already at that time, his grades were excellent, graduating at the top of his class. When choosing higher studies, between 1900 and 1904, he settled on physics in Berlin, meteorology in Heidelberg, and astronomy in Innsbruck.

Wegener made these studies compatible with the position of assistant at the Astronomical Observatory of Urania. After presenting his doctoral thesis in astronomy, the scientist opted for two fields that, at that time, were beginning to develop: meteorology and climatology.

In 1905, Wegener began working at the Lindenberg Aeronautical Observatory as an assistant. There she met one of her brothers, Kurt, also a scientist. Both shared an identical interest in meteorology and research at the Earth's poles.

Working together, the two brothers pioneered the use of hot air balloons to study the atmosphere. During their experiments with these balloons, they set a new record for the duration of a flight between April 5 and 7, 1906. They were in the air for no less than 52 and a half hours.

First expeditions to Greenland and years in Marburg

Joining two of his great passions, meteorology and exploration, Wegener was a member of an expedition that sought to explore the last unknown part of the Greenland coast.

The director of that exploration was the Danish Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen and, apart from his observations, Wegener built the first meteorological station in that part of the world.

Upon returning to his country in 1908, the scientist spent several years teaching meteorology, astronomy and cosmic physics in Marburg. During that time, he wrote one of his most important works: Thermodynamics of the atmosphere.

His biographers consider that time to be one of Wegener's most creative. Apart from the aforementioned book, it was then that he began to consider the theory that would make him most famous: that of plate drift.

The idea came to him when he contemplated how the profiles of the African and South American coasts seemed to fit perfectly. In addition, he knew that biologists had been looking for some connection between the two continents for a long time, since they had found similar fossils in both.

Wegener published his first article on continental drift in 1912. The reception was very negative in scientific circles and only some geologists gave it some validity.

Marriage

As for his personal life, Wegener met who would become his wife, Else Köppen. The marriage did not take place until 1913, as it had to be delayed until the scientist returned from a new expedition to Greenland.

First World War

The First World War interrupted Wegener's scientific work for a few months. Like so many of his compatriots, he was called up in 1914. He was posted to Belgium and took part in some very bloody battles.

However, their participation in the conflict was very short. Wegener was injured twice and was removed from active duty. His new position was in the army meteorological service, something that forced him to travel to several European countries.

Despite these circumstances, the scientist managed to write his greatest work: The Origin of the Continents and Oceans. The first version was published in 1915 and, according to his brother Kurt, the work tried to reestablish the connection between geophysics, geography and geology, lost due to the specialization of researchers.

The war caused that first version to go quite unnoticed. Meanwhile, Wegener continued to develop other research and it is estimated that, by the end of the conflict, he had published almost 20 papers on various of the disciplines he mastered.

Postwar period

When the war ended, Wegener began working at the German Naval Observatory as a meteorologist. Together with his wife and two daughters, he moved to Hamburg to take up his new job.

In that German city, he gave some seminars at the University. Until 1923, he developed an innovative study on the reconstruction of the climate during prehistory, a discipline now called paleoclimatology.

That new research didn't make him forget his plate drift theory. In fact, in 1922 he published a new, completely revised edition of his book on the origin of the continents. On that occasion, he received attention, although the reaction was negative from his colleagues.

Despite all his work and research, Wegener did not obtain a position that gave him financial peace of mind until 1924. That year, he was appointed professor of meteorology and geophysics in Graz.

Two years later, the scientist presented his theory about the Earth's plates at a meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. His presentation, presented in New York, once again garnered much criticism.

Last expedition

Wegener's last expedition to Greenland had disastrous results. It took place in 1930 and the German was commissioned to lead a group in order to establish a permanent scientific research station.

The key to success was that supplies arrived in time to endure the harsh winter at Eismitte, where the station was built. However, an unpredictable factor delayed the departure of the expedition. The thaw took a long time, causing a delay of six months on the schedule they had planned.

The expedition members suffered throughout the month of September. Already in October, they managed to reach the station, but with hardly any provisions.

Faced with the desperate situation, the small group that remained decided that Wegener himself and a companion would try to return to shore to get some fuel and food.

On November 1, 1930, the scientist celebrated his fiftieth birthday. The next day he left the station. The wind was very strong and the temperature was around 50 degrees below zero. It would be the last time Alfred Wegener was seen alive.

Death

Under the circumstances, the exact date of Wegener's death is unknown. His companion in the desperate attempt to reach shore carefully buried his body and marked his grave. Afterwards, he tried to continue on his way, but he couldn't get there either.

Wegener's body was found six months later, on May 12, 1931 thanks to the marks left by his deceased partner.

Plate theory

Alfred Wegener's best known scientific contribution was his theory of continental drift. However, despite current recognition, in his time exposing that idea brought him not a few disappointments.

The first publication related to this theory was produced in 1912. Later, he expanded it and formally presented it in 1915, in his famous book The Origin of the Continents and Oceans. The work was translated into several languages, such as French, Spanish, English or Russian. The definitive edition, the fourth, appeared in 1929.

Broadly speaking, Wegener claimed that all the continents were united into a single land mass about 290 million years ago. He called that supercontinent Pangea, "all the earth" in Greek.

Continental drift

Continental drift is called the movement of continental plates across the earth's surface. Wegener published the hypothesis in 1912, after observing the shape of the African and South American coasts and realizing that they fit together almost perfectly. Furthermore, it was based on some very similar fossil discoveries on both continents.

In his original thesis, Wegener affirmed that the continents moved on a denser layer of the earth, made up of the ocean floor. Thus, like when someone moves a carpet, the continental territories would have changed their position over the millennia.

Pangea

Based on his observations, the scientist concluded that the different continents had been united millions of years ago. Wegener called that supercontinent Pangea. According to his theory, this would explain the shapes of the coasts and the similarity of the remains of flora and fauna found on different continents.

However, what he could not explain at the time was the way the continents were moving. That caused the vast majority of his fellow scientists to reject the theory.

Rejection of the theory

As noted, Wegener's theory was based, for the most part, on empirical observations. It did not explain, for example, aspects such as the mechanism of movement of the continents.

On the other hand, his calculation of the speed at which they were moving was incorrect, since he estimated it at 250 centimeters a year. In reality, the speed is only about 2.5 cm / year, much slower than Wegener thought.

These errors and omissions made the scientific community of the time not accept his theory. At best, it was seen as an interesting idea, but with no supporting evidence. It took almost half a century for more evidence to be presented that would validate a good part of his work.

Other contributions

The continental drift theory has overshadowed other contributions of Wegener, but these were many and related to diverse fields. He stood out not only in the more purely scientific field, but in others such as the handling of hot air balloons or his observations of Greenland.

Proof of the variety of areas that interested the scientist are his work on the dynamics and thermodynamics of the atmosphere, optical phenomena in it and in clouds, acoustic waves and instrument design.

He was also a pioneer in the history of aviation, setting a record of 52 hours of uninterrupted flight in 1906 with his brother Kurt.

Thermodynamics of the atmosphere

The expeditions to Greenland were worth to him to collect numerous meteorological and other data. Thus, he was able to study air circulation in the polar areas, for example.

When he returned from his first expedition, and while teaching in Marburg, he was able to write one of his most important works: Thermodynamics of the atmosphere. This book ended up becoming a classic of meteorology. The description of the properties of the Earth's atmosphere stands out especially.

Climate in the course of geological time

"Climate in the course of geological time" was written in 1924. Wegener, in collaboration with his father-in-law, reflected his research on what meteorology was like in prehistory.

The origin of the craters on the moon

Good proof of the breadth of his interests is his research on craters on the moon. At the end of World War I, Wegener spent some time studying the surface of the satellite. From his observations he drew some conclusions related to the formation of the craters.

Through simple experiments, he deduced that the craters had been produced by external impacts. Although he did not get much recognition at the time, science has shown that he was right on the matter.

Weather station in Greenland

Wegener was also a participant in the exploration of one of the least known areas of the planet in his time. In addition to collecting data on meteorology and air circulation, he was responsible for building the first weather station in Greenland, Danmarkshavn.

References

1. Biographies and Lives. Alfred Wegener. Obtained from biografiasyvidas.com
2. Net Meteorology. Who was Alfred Wegener ?. Obtained from meteorologiaenred.com
3. Bachelor, Rafael. Wegener, the visionary of Pangea. Obtained from elmundo.es
4. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Alfred Wegener. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. Sant, Joseph. Alfred Wegener's Continental Drift Theory. Retrieved from scientus.org
6. NASA Earth Observatory. Alfred Wegener. Retrieved from earthobservatory.nasa.gov
7. The Geological Society. Alfred Lothar Wegener. Retrieved from geolsoc.org.uk
8. Weil, Anne. Plate Tectonics: The Rocky History of an Idea. Recovered from ucmp.berkeley.edu