Hans Johansen
Encyclopedia
Hans Johansen was a Danish
-Russian
professor of zoology
, first at Tomsk State University
, later at the University of Copenhagen
.
, Latvia
to Danish
parents. He went to high school in Estonia
. As a young research-eager student, he came to Tomsk
in spring 1916 to study natural history. He met the Russian
ornithologist
Hermann Johansen
, with whom he had no blood-relationship. They went on a bird-collection expedition to the southern border of the taiga
between the rivers Om
and Ob
. In 1917, Hans Johansen investigated the Baraba steppe
alone. The Russian Revolution and subsequent Civil War
cut him off from his home and his finances. During 1918-1919, he travelled by foot, and with much suffering and adventure, through the Altai mountains for nearly two years. He made a collection of some 500 bird specimens. During the summer of 1920, he investigated the Biysk
steppe and spent the winter of 1920/1921 in Tomsk
.
From May 1921, he undertook doctoral studies in Munich
and took his PhD in zoogeograpy in 1924. He subsequently returned to Tomsk
and worked from 1925 as an assistant to Hermann Johansen
. He made expedition to Ussuri in 1926 and the taiga
of the Narym
Basin in 1927. Hans Johansen moved to Kamchatka in 1928, and shortly thereafter settled on the Commander Islands as a scientific leader of fur animal exploitation there. He stayed there for 3½ years.
Professor Hermann Johansen
died in 1930 and, after a while, Hans Johansen was appointed his successor as professor of zoology in Tomsk
. He succeeded in building a small group of ornithology
students, who were send off to investigate the bird fauna
of hitherto unexplored areas of Western Siberia
. Johansen visited the Salair
area in 1934 and the Kuznetsk Alatau
in the spring of 1937. His collection of Siberian bird specimens had then grown to some 4500. This was mainly achieved through efforts by himself and his students, but also by purchase of the collections of Hermann Johansen
and others. During his years as a professor in Tomsk
, Hans Johansen made frequent study visits to the bird collections of the Russian Academy of Sciences
in St Petersburg.
In October 1937, Johansen was expelled from the Soviet Union
like all foreign citizens. He came to Denmark
where he was employed at the Zoological Museum of the University of Copenhagen
and headed its bird ringing
centre 1943-1960. He bought a cottage on the isle of Læsø
, the barren landscape of which reminded him of Siberia
. He later donated this house to the University of Copenhagen
. A field laboratory was made out of it.
Hans Johansen wrote a full treatise of the bird fauna
of Western Siberia
published in a suite of papers from 1943 to 1961,
Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens in Journal für Ornithologie (now Journal of Ornithology) vol. 91 - 102.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
-Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
professor of zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
, first at Tomsk State University
Tomsk State University
Tomsk State University , formerly Imperial Tomsk University, is the first university in Siberia—it was founded in 1878 in Tomsk, Russia. TSU opened in 1888 with only one department, the medical school...
, later at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
.
Life
Hans Johansen was born in RigaRiga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
to Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
parents. He went to high school in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. As a young research-eager student, he came to Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
in spring 1916 to study natural history. He met the Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
Hermann Johansen
Hermann Johansen
Hermann Eduardovich Johansen was a Russian biologist and ornithologist. He graduated with a degree in zoology from Tartu University in 1889. He moved to Tomsk in 1893 and began teaching German, physics and natural history in the Alekseyev school. From 1899, he taught zoology and comparative...
, with whom he had no blood-relationship. They went on a bird-collection expedition to the southern border of the taiga
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
between the rivers Om
Om River
Om is a river in the south of Western Siberian plains in Russia. It is ~724 km long, flowing into the major Irtysh River. It rises in the Vasyugan Swamp at the border of Novosibirsk and Omsk oblasts....
and Ob
Ob River
The Ob River , also Obi, is a major river in western Siberia, Russia and is the world's seventh longest river. It is the westernmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean .The Gulf of Ob is the world's longest estuary.-Names:The Ob is known to the Khanty people as the...
. In 1917, Hans Johansen investigated the Baraba steppe
Baraba steppe
The Baraba steppe, also known as Barabinsk steppe, , is a grassland steppe and wooded flat plain situated in western Siberia.The steppe has an area of 117,000 km² and stretches between the Irtysh and the Ob Rivers. Barabinsk is the largest city on the steppe. The Baraba steppe also contains...
alone. The Russian Revolution and subsequent Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
cut him off from his home and his finances. During 1918-1919, he travelled by foot, and with much suffering and adventure, through the Altai mountains for nearly two years. He made a collection of some 500 bird specimens. During the summer of 1920, he investigated the Biysk
Biysk
Biysk is a city in Altai Krai, Russia. It is the second largest city of the krai . Population: -Geography:Biysk is situated in southwestern Siberia, on the Biya River . The city is called "the gates to the Altai Mountains", because of its position comparatively not far from this range...
steppe and spent the winter of 1920/1921 in Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
.
From May 1921, he undertook doctoral studies in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and took his PhD in zoogeograpy in 1924. He subsequently returned to Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
and worked from 1925 as an assistant to Hermann Johansen
Hermann Johansen
Hermann Eduardovich Johansen was a Russian biologist and ornithologist. He graduated with a degree in zoology from Tartu University in 1889. He moved to Tomsk in 1893 and began teaching German, physics and natural history in the Alekseyev school. From 1899, he taught zoology and comparative...
. He made expedition to Ussuri in 1926 and the taiga
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
of the Narym
Narym
Narym is a village in Parabelsky District of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Ob River near its confluence with the Ket River, from the village of Parabel...
Basin in 1927. Hans Johansen moved to Kamchatka in 1928, and shortly thereafter settled on the Commander Islands as a scientific leader of fur animal exploitation there. He stayed there for 3½ years.
Professor Hermann Johansen
Hermann Johansen
Hermann Eduardovich Johansen was a Russian biologist and ornithologist. He graduated with a degree in zoology from Tartu University in 1889. He moved to Tomsk in 1893 and began teaching German, physics and natural history in the Alekseyev school. From 1899, he taught zoology and comparative...
died in 1930 and, after a while, Hans Johansen was appointed his successor as professor of zoology in Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
. He succeeded in building a small group of ornithology
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
students, who were send off to investigate the bird fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
of hitherto unexplored areas of Western Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. Johansen visited the Salair
Salair
Salair is a town in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia, located south of Kemerovo. Population: It was founded in 1626 as the village of Salairskoye on the Malaya Tolmovaya River. Town status was granted to it in 1941....
area in 1934 and the Kuznetsk Alatau
Kuznetsk Alatau
Kuznetsk Alatau is a mountain range, South Siberia, Russia between Kuznetsk Depression and Minusinsk Depression. Length: about 300 km., elevation: up to . It is part of the mountain system of Central Asia. See Geography of South-Central Siberia....
in the spring of 1937. His collection of Siberian bird specimens had then grown to some 4500. This was mainly achieved through efforts by himself and his students, but also by purchase of the collections of Hermann Johansen
Hermann Johansen
Hermann Eduardovich Johansen was a Russian biologist and ornithologist. He graduated with a degree in zoology from Tartu University in 1889. He moved to Tomsk in 1893 and began teaching German, physics and natural history in the Alekseyev school. From 1899, he taught zoology and comparative...
and others. During his years as a professor in Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
, Hans Johansen made frequent study visits to the bird collections of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
in St Petersburg.
In October 1937, Johansen was expelled from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
like all foreign citizens. He came to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
where he was employed at the Zoological Museum of the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
and headed its bird ringing
Bird ringing
Bird ringing or bird banding is a technique used in the study of wild birds, by attaching a small, individually numbered, metal or plastic tag to their legs or wings, so that various aspects of the bird's life can be studied by the ability to re-find the same individual later...
centre 1943-1960. He bought a cottage on the isle of Læsø
Læsø
Læsø is the largest island in the North Sea bay of Kattegat, and is located off the northeast coast of the Jutland Peninsula, the Danish mainland. Læsø is also the name of the municipality on that island...
, the barren landscape of which reminded him of Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. He later donated this house to the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
. A field laboratory was made out of it.
Hans Johansen wrote a full treatise of the bird fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
of Western Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
published in a suite of papers from 1943 to 1961,
Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens in Journal für Ornithologie (now Journal of Ornithology) vol. 91 - 102.
Selected scientific works
- Johansen, Hans (1922) Zur geographischen Verbreitung einiger Vögel in Westsibirien. Verh. ornith. Ges. Bayern, 15 (2).
- Johansen, Hans (1922) Dryobates m. major und Dryobates m. brevirostris. Verh. ornith. Ges. Bayern, 15 (2).
- Johansen, Hans (1924) Russische ornithologische Arbeit während der letzten Jahre. Journal für Ornithologie 72 (1): 68-73.
- Johansen, Hans (1935) The breeding birds of the SalairSalairSalair is a town in Kemerovo Oblast, Russia, located south of Kemerovo. Population: It was founded in 1626 as the village of Salairskoye on the Malaya Tolmovaya River. Town status was granted to it in 1941....
mountains. Trudy biol. Inst. Tomsk. Univ. Vol. 1. (In Russian). - Johansen, Hans (1936) The geographical variability of Turdus pilaris. Animadversiones systematicae Mus. Zool. Tomsk. Univ. Nr. 5. (In Russian).
- Johansen, Hans (1943) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - Einleitung. Journal für Ornithologie 91 (1): 9-13.
- Johansen, Hans (1943) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - Geographische Uebersicht. Journal für Ornithologie 91 (1): 15-27.
- Johansen, Hans (1943) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - Die wichtigsten phänologischen Erscheinungen. Journal für Ornithologie 91 (1): 27-33.
- Johansen, Hans (1943) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - Die Lebensstätten der westsibirischen Vogelwelt. Journal für Ornithologie 91 (1): 33-56.
- Johansen, Hans (1943) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - Die Randgebiete. Journal für Ornithologie 91 (1): 56-72.
- Johansen, Hans (1943) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - Ornithologische Erforschungsgeschichte. Journal für Ornithologie 91 (1): 73-92.
- Johansen, Hans (1943) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - Literaturverzeichnis zu Teil I und II. Journal für Ornithologie 91 (1): 93-.
- Johansen, Hans (1944) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - II. Teil. Systematik und Verbreitung, Oekologie und Biologie der Einzelarten. Journal für Ornithologie 92 (1-2)
- Johansen, Hans (1944) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 92 (3-4)
- Johansen, Hans (1954) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - II. Teil (Systematik und Verbreitung, Oekologie und Biologie der Einzelarten). Journal für Ornithologie 95 (3-4)
- Johansen, Hans (1954) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - II. Teil (Systematik und Verbreitung, Oekologie und Biologie der Einzelarten) 2. Fortsetzung:Muscicapidae — Sylviidae. Journal für Ornithologie 95 (1-2)
- Johansen, Hans (1955) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - II. Teil (Systematik und Verbreitung, Oekologie und Biologie der Einzelarten) 4. Fortsetzung:Erithacidae—Hirundinidae.Journal für Ornithologie 96 (1)
- Johansen, Hans (1955) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - III. Teil Systematik und Verbreitung, Oekologie und Lebensweise der Non-Passeres. Journal für Ornithologie 96 (4)
- Johansen, Hans (1956) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 97 (2)
- Johansen, Hans (1957) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 98 (2)
- Johansen, Hans (1957) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 98 (3)
- Johansen, Hans (1957) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 98 (4)
- Johansen, Hans (1958) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 99 (1)
- Johansen, Hans (1959) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 100 (1)
- Johansen, Hans (1959) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 100 (3)
- Johansen, Hans (1959) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 100 (4)
- Johansen, Hans (1960) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 101 (3)
- Johansen, Hans (1960) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 101 (4)
- Johansen, Hans (1961) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens - III. Teil (Non-Passeres) 11. Fortsetzung: Limicolae II (Tringa bis Haematopus). Journal für Ornithologie 102 (1)
- Johansen, Hans (1961) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 102 (3)
- Johansen, Hans (1961) Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens. Journal für Ornithologie 102 (3)
- Johansen, Hans (1961) Die Entstehung der westsibirischen Vogelfauna. Journal für Ornithologie 102 (4)