Gotthilf Hempel
Encyclopedia
Gotthilf Hempel is a retired German
marine biologist
and oceanographer
.
Hempel studied biology
and geology
at the universities of Mainz
and Heidelberg
. In 1952 he gained his Ph.D.
with a study on the energetics of grasshopper
jumps from Heidelberg University. He then went on to work as a scientific assistant at various research institutes in Wilhelmshaven
, Helgoland, and Hamburg
, where he habilitated
with a thesis on the ecology of fry in 1963. Four years later, he became a professor at the University of Kiel
at the Institute of Oceanography, where he remained director for the next 14 years. In 1981, he helped found the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
in Bremerhaven
whereupon he became the institutions first director. In the same year, he also became director of the Institute for Polar Ecology at the University of Kiel
. In Bremerhaven, he initiated the construction of the polar research vessel FS Polarstern. In 1992, he became the first director of the then newly founded Center for Marine Tropical Ecology at the University of Bremen
. Hempel retired in 1994.
He has been interested and active in research politics throughout his career. From 1963 to 1967 he worked for UNESCO
and the FAO
and from 1990 to 1996 he was a member of the Wissenschaftsrat
, the scientific advisory committee of Germany
. He has been and is an active proponent of scientific collaboration and education initiatives in underdeveloped countries, and has advocated a more sustainable exploitation of natural resources. Hempel is the editor of the journal Polar Biology, and he has also published several books. He has had more than 70 doctoral candidates. From his time spent researching oceanological topics he has managed to spend over 1000 days aboard research vessels.
He was awarded the German Order of Merit
(Grosses Verdienstkreuz) in 1993.
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...
marine biologist
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
and oceanographer
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
.
Hempel studied biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
at the universities of Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
and Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. In 1952 he gained his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
with a study on the energetics of grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
jumps from Heidelberg University. He then went on to work as a scientific assistant at various research institutes in Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
, Helgoland, and Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, where he habilitated
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
with a thesis on the ecology of fry in 1963. Four years later, he became a professor at the University of Kiel
University of Kiel
The University of Kiel is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and has approximately 23,000 students today...
at the Institute of Oceanography, where he remained director for the next 14 years. In 1981, he helped found the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
The Alfred Wegener Institute of Polar and Marine Research is a scientific organization located in Bremerhaven, Germany. The institute was founded in 1980 and is named after revolutionary meteorologist climatologist, and geologist Alfred Wegener...
in Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
whereupon he became the institutions first director. In the same year, he also became director of the Institute for Polar Ecology at the University of Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
. In Bremerhaven, he initiated the construction of the polar research vessel FS Polarstern. In 1992, he became the first director of the then newly founded Center for Marine Tropical Ecology at the University of Bremen
University of Bremen
The University of Bremen is a university of approximately 23,500 people from 126 countries that are studying, teaching, researching, and working in Bremen, Germany...
. Hempel retired in 1994.
He has been interested and active in research politics throughout his career. From 1963 to 1967 he worked for UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and the FAO
Fão
Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
and from 1990 to 1996 he was a member of the Wissenschaftsrat
Wissenschaftsrat
The Wissenschaftsrat is an advisory body to the German Federal Government and the state governments. It makes recommendations on the development of science, research, and the universities, as well as on the competitiveness of German science...
, the scientific advisory committee of Germany
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...
. He has been and is an active proponent of scientific collaboration and education initiatives in underdeveloped countries, and has advocated a more sustainable exploitation of natural resources. Hempel is the editor of the journal Polar Biology, and he has also published several books. He has had more than 70 doctoral candidates. From his time spent researching oceanological topics he has managed to spend over 1000 days aboard research vessels.
He was awarded the German Order of Merit
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
(Grosses Verdienstkreuz) in 1993.
Selected publications
- Early Life History of Marine Fish: The Egg Stage; University of Washington Press; 1980; ISBN 0-295-95672-0.
- Antarctic Science: Global Concerns; Springer 1994; ISBN 0-387-57559-6.
- Nachhaltigkeit und globaler Wandel: guter Rat ist Teuer; Peter Lang Publishing, Frankfurt 2003; ISBN 3-631-50400-4. (Ed.)
External links
- Curriculum Vitae.
- Institute of Polar Ecology in Kiel.
- Center for Marine Tropical Ecology in Bremen.