Albert Defant (Trento 1884–Innsbuck 1974)—An Eclectic and Borderless Figure of Meteorologist, Oceanographer, and Climatologist

Albert Defant is best know as an oceanographer, and in particular as one of the founders of modern oceanography, based on rigorous physical and mathematical concepts. However during his long and varied career Defant offered a number of significant contributions also in meteorology, limnology and climatology, which are less known.

Born in Trento (nowadays in Italy, but at that time still part of the Austrian Empire), he moved soon to Innsbruck (Austria), where he completed his high schools studies, and later got a master of science and then a doctoral degree at the Institute of cosmic physics of the Leopolod-Franzens University.

Soon he moved to Vienna, at the Central Service for Meteorology and Earth Dynamics, as a meteorologist and later as director of the forecasting office. During that time he published his early papers, mostly related with weather prediction. Then he got a position as associate professor back at the University of Innsbruck, where he worked until he got involved, in 1926-27, in the German South-Atlantic Expedition aboard the "Meteor" ship. After the successful work performed in that project, he was invited to the chair of oceanography at the University of Berlin and became Director of the Institute and Museum of marine science.

Form the analysis of data he published relevant contributions to the progress of physical oceanography. Also he made connections with the major schools and research centers in oceanography all over the world.

His numerous monographs and papers range form meteorology, to physical oceanography, to the dynamics of the general circulation of the atmosphere and of the ocean.