The area was plagued by strong winds and snowfall, which caused the hired Greenlanders to desert. Winter came in strong and it was reason enough for Alfred Wegener to endeavor to provide a base for shelter. Supplies from inland facilities did not arrive on time. The fourth and last expedition was carried out in 1930 with great difficulties from the beginning. And it is that it was possible to know that the thickness of ice exceeded 1800 meters deep. With this investigation, a fairly relevant data was obtained for the time in which they were. The most important expedition until then was carried out in the year 1029. Other targets were also set in the field of meteorology and glaciology to gain insight into why continents moved. In this way more information could be obtained about storms and their effects on transatlantic flights. The main objective was l to build a weather station that would allow to have measurements of the climate in a systematic way. After the experience and reputation acquired by the theory of continental drift, he was the most suitable to lead the expedition. In 1927, he decided to make another expedition to Greenland with the support of the German Research Association. Little is said about what Alfred Wegener did after the continental drift exposition. With this expedition he finished his studies in climatology and glaciology. He made a great trek on foot along the ice cap. Made it together Danish explorer JP Koch. For the year 1912 he made another new expedition, this time bound for Greenland. When he returned to Germany, he had collected large volumes of meteorological and climatological observations. He was considered a competent expeditionary, as well as a polar traveler. During the expedition he had some impediments and fatalities, but they did not prevent him from acquiring a great reputation. Hence, it could be correctly formed to establish the evidence that would refute continental drift. The expedition lasted almost 2 years.ĭuring Wegener's time in Greenland, he undertook a variety of scientific studies on meteorology, geology, and glaciology. All this preparation paid off when he was chosen as a meteorologist for a Danish expedition that set out for northeast Greenland. The record he set was to fly for 52 hours without interruption. He improved his ability and technique in the world of aeronautics, to the point of achieving a world record in 1906, together with his brother Kurt.
Who was alfred wegener how to#
He also knew how to master the use of kites and balloons for meteorological observations. In preparation for his expeditions to Antarctica, he was introduced to long hiking programs. Still, Wegener wanted to venture into this new science. Back then, measuring the atmospheric patterns responsible for many storms and winds was much more complex and less accurate. He had also been very attracted to a science that was quite modern: the Meteorology. When Wegener started out in the world of science, he was excited to explore Greenland. That this happened thus meant the total recomposition of the Earth and the seas in the course of the geological time.Īlthough he could not find the reason why the continents move, he had great merit in gathering all the possible evidence in his time to establish this movement. In addition, it involved the audacity to imagine a colossal force that was responsible for displacing entire continents. This idea was and continues to be shocking as, if so, it would produce catastrophic results in the human species. Unlike what is known today, Alfred Wegener thought in terms of the movement of continents and not of tectonic plates. Therefore, after the different studies supported by the theory of continental drift, ocean floors and terrestrial paleomagnetism, plate tectonics emerged. However, he did not have a convincing explanation as to what force is capable of moving him. It is true that Alfred Wegener was able to develop the theory by which continents can move. These studies have served as the foundation for the current theory of plate tectonics. Wegener had to carry out in-depth studies on terrestrial pelomagnetism. Not just geological evidence, but biological, paleontological, meteorological and geophysical. He was able to consistently elaborate the displacement of the continents, relying on rather bold geological evidence. Although the theory he presented is related to geology, the meteorologist was able to perfectly understand the conditions of the inner layers of the Earth and to base himself on scientific evidence. Wegener was a soldier in the German army, professor of meteorology, and a first-rate traveler.