NL001-001_067

Source: Alfred Wegener, Tagebücher, June 1906 – August 1908. DMA NL 001/001.

[067] Handanemometer. Auch Hg-Barometer und Barograph im Entree. Pendeluhr und Telephonverbindung zum astr. Observatorium. Dies wie das unsrige eingerichtet. Drachenstation, mit Motor (Sommer) und Drachenhaus. Dunkelkammer, wie bei uns. Magnetische Häuser (Registrierungen). Eventuell Zelt für absolute Messungen. Bodenthermometer mit Siemenschen Widerstandsspiralen, im Winter im Hause abzulesen; auch für Botanik zu verwenden. Signale und Warten zur Messung der terrestrischen Refraktion. Auch sidersche Refr.- Messungen. Telephon nach einem Stativ in 1 km Entfernung für Nordlicht und Wolkenhöhen. Motorboot, 2 Hundegespanne. Abort. Elektrisches Licht in den Kojen. Chronometerschrank im Hause. Eventuell Windmotor (für alles mögliche). Das Personal sollte folgendes sein: 1. Botaniker. 2. Meteorolog 3. Magnetiker 4. Gehilfe für Drachenaufstiege, Motorbootfahrten,

[067] hand anemometer. Also Hg barometer and barograph in the vestibule. Pendulum clock and telephone connection to the astronomical observatory. This to be set up like ours. Kite station, with motor (summer) and kite shed. Darkroom, just as here. Magnetic observatories (recordings). Possibly a tent for absolute measurements. Ground thermometer with Siemens resistance spirals, to be read from within the house in winter; also to be used for botany. Signals and lookouts for the measurement of terrestrial refraction. Also sidereal refraction measurements. Telephone on a tripod at 1 km distance for northern lights and cloud heights. Motorboat, 2 teams of dogs. Lavatory. Electric light in the bunks. Chronometer cabinet in the house. Perhaps a wind-driven motor (for many purposes). The personnel should consist of the following: 1. botanist, 2. meteorologist, 3. magnetician, 4. assistant for kite deployments, motorboat trips,

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The Wegener Diaries: Scientific Expeditions into the Eternal Ice

This virtual exhibition sheds light on Alfred Wegener’s expeditions to Greenland between 1906 and 1931. Its main focus is on the diaries Wegener wrote during his explorations, which offer unique insights into the manifold challenges man and material faced in Greenland’s extreme environments. You may choose to read the diaries in their original state, or browse the expeditions individually and read transcribed and translated excerpts by clicking on the individual chapters.

This version, published in 2020, includes minor updates to the original 2013 virtual exhibition. PDFs of the virtual exhibition, as well as original scans and transcripts of the Wegener Diaries, can be found at the exhibition’s PDF Depot.

Christian Kehrt

About the author

Kehrt, Christian

Christian Kehrt works in the fields of environmental history, military history, and the history of science and technology. He studied history and philosophy in Tübingen and Stony Brook, NY. His PhD “Moderne Krieger. Die Technikerfahrungen deutscher Militärpiloten, 1910–1945” deals with flying experiences of military pilots in the age of the two world wars. It was completed as part of the postgraduate research program “Technology and Society” at the Technical University Darmstadt and received the Werner-Hahlweg-Prize for military history, the Georg-Agricola Prize and the prize for young scholars of the German Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics. As a postdoc he worked at the Deutsches Museum in Munich on a project on the origins of nanotechnology. In 2009/10 he was a Carson Fellow at the Rachel Center for Environment and Society. Currently he is pursuing a habilitation project on polar exploration in the period of the Cold War at the Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg where he holds a position as a research associate.

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The Wegener Diaries: Scientific Expeditions into the Eternal Ice

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