William Spotswood Green
Encyclopedia
William Spotswood Green was an Irish
naturalist
, specialized on marine biology
.
Born at Youghal
and educated at Trinity College
in Dublin, he was ordained a priest in 1873. Already before he left the services of the Church in 1890, he had worked on marine biology. In the 1880s, he participated as a leading member in several research expeditions sponsored by the Royal Irish Academy
. In 1892, he became the Inspector of Fisheries. He retired in 1914.
Green was also a member of the English Alpine Club
and became a mountain climber well-known especially in Canada
and New Zealand
. In 1882, he attempted with two Swiss
guides a first ascent of Mount Cook in New Zealand, but the party was forced back by bad weather shortly before they reached the top. In the late 1880s Green did survey
work in the Rocky Mountains
of British Columbia
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
, specialized on marine biology
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...
.
Born at Youghal
Youghal
Youghal is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Sitting on the estuary of the River Blackwater, in the past it was militarily and economically important. Being built on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a distinctive long and narrow layout...
and educated at Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
in Dublin, he was ordained a priest in 1873. Already before he left the services of the Church in 1890, he had worked on marine biology. In the 1880s, he participated as a leading member in several research expeditions sponsored by the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
. In 1892, he became the Inspector of Fisheries. He retired in 1914.
Green was also a member of the English Alpine Club
Alpine Club (UK)
The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
and became a mountain climber well-known especially in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. In 1882, he attempted with two Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
guides a first ascent of Mount Cook in New Zealand, but the party was forced back by bad weather shortly before they reached the top. In the late 1880s Green did survey
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
work in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Selected publications
- Green, W. S.: The High Alps of New Zealand. Or a Trip to the Glaciers of the Antipodes With an Ascent of Mount Cook. Macmillian & Co., London 1883.
- Green, W. S.: Among the Selkirk glaciers: being the account of a rough survey in the Rocky Mountain regions of British Columbia, Macmillian & Co., London 1890.
- Green, W. S.: "The Wrecks of the Spanish Armada on the Coast of Ireland", The Geographical Journal 27(5) (May 1906), pp. 429–451.