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The history of oceanography

The history of oceanography. Ancient roots, modern definition. University of Warwick , BSHS Postgraduates Conference, 4-6 January 2012 Lisa Taramaschi < lisa.taramaschi@ingv.it > Università degli studi di Genova ( Italy ). Margaret Deacon, “”Scientists and the sea, 1650-1900.

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The history of oceanography

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  1. The historyofoceanography Ancient roots, modern definition. University of Warwick, BSHS Postgraduates Conference, 4-6 January2012 Lisa Taramaschi <lisa.taramaschi@ingv.it> Università degli studi di Genova (Italy)

  2. Margaret Deacon, “”Scientists and the sea, 1650-1900. A study of marine science”. “The development (of marine science) was a slow process, chequered by interruptions and reverses, but it is often possible to see an underlying continuity of ideas and methods.”

  3. We can find a processofgrowthofoceanography, whichhasitsroots in the Greek-Roman world, even in cosmologicalelaborationsofreligions and mythsof the greatcivilizations, toreachfinally the naturalphilosophers, in searchof the archéthatsubstantiates and gives rise to the world.

  4. The rootsof the science of the sea in the past: Strabo (64/63 BC-24 AD) Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD)

  5. The ipse dixit: Aristotle’s thought The Greek philosopher (384-322 BC) faced the sea and its problems in the four books of “Meteorologia” and in some of its “Problemata”. Its position and the ideas he proposed becomes the reference for the entire Middle Ages and the following period.

  6. The Renaissance: the commentaries on the Aristotle’s “Metereologia” Alexander Aphrodisiensis, “In quattuor libros metereologicorum Aristotelis commentatio lucidissima”, 1545. Niphus Augustinus, “In libris Aristotelis metereologicis Commentaria…”, 1547. Ludovicus Buccaferreus, “Lectiones, in secundum ac tertium meteororum Aristotelis libros”, 1570. etc.

  7. The XVIthtreaties on the sea Girolamo Borro, “Dialogo del flusso e riflusso del mare”, 1561. Nicolò Sagri, “Ragionamenti sopra la varietà dei flussi et riflussi del Mar Oceano Occidentale”, 1574. Giovanni Botero, “Aggiunte fatte di Giovanni Botero alla sua Ragione di Stato… con una Relatione sul Mare”, 1598.

  8. The first technology Olaus Magnus (1490-1558) wrote in 1555 his masterpiece, “De gentibus septentrionalibus, earumque diversis statibus, moribus, ritibus, superstitionibus…”

  9. Camillo Agrippa published in 1595 his book, “Nuove inventioni di Camillo Agrippa milanese”.

  10. Some greatscientists and the sea Galileo Galilei, “Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo”, 1632. René Descartes, “LesPrincipes de la Philosophie”, in “Oevres”, 11 vols, 1644. AthanasiusKircher, “Mundussubterraneus”, 1665.

  11. The centralperiod: the 1660s In the 1660 there was a fundamental step: the foundation of the Royal Society. From the Gresham College group, on 28 November the 1660 committee of 12 announced the formation of a "College for the Promoting of Physico-Mathematical Experimental Learning“. John Evelyn, who helped found the Royal Society.

  12. The fathersof the oceanography: Luigi Ferdinando Marsili Luigi Ferdinando Marsili (1658-1730) wrote two fundamental textes: “Osservazioni intorno al Bosforo Tracio”, 1681; “Histoire Physique de la Mer”, 1725. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in November 1691.

  13. Robert Boyle • Robert Boyle (1627-1691) studied the sea in its physical and chemical characteristics. • He was able to: • summarize the best idea in the air that time; • join together academic knowledge and know-how from sailors’ world; • have a very modern scientific approach to the sea.

  14. The XIXthcentury Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) wrote in 1855 the “Physical Geography of the Sea”, one of the first books dedicated to the oceanography.

  15. The mythof the Challenger The cruise of the Challenger (1872-1876) was the first oceanographic campaign, with systematic experiments, scientists on board (as Carpenter, Murray, Buchanan) and a big amount of data collected.

  16. To sum up… Oceanology The science of the sea before the XIXth century, when scholars were naturalists with encyclopedic interests and the discipline still lacked of systematic order, of specific theories and methodological statute. Oceanography The science of the sea after the XIXth century, with the canonization of the science of the sea thanks to scientific and technological progress.

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