Spilhaus, Athelstan

Scientist, administrator and educator, Athelstan Spilhaus (1911-1998) contributed to oceanography, meteorology, and cartography; served as a dean at the University of Minnesota; and promoted science education and science-based management of the earth’s resources. Born in Rondebosch, South Africa, he held degrees in mechanical engineering (University of Cape Town, 1931) and in aeronautical engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1933).

In 1936 Spilhaus joined the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Here he developed the bathythermograph, a device that made possible the measurement of ocean depths and temperatures from a moving vessel. This invention established his international reputation. From 1941 through 1945 he served in the United States Army, teaching meteorology and traveling in Europe and China, where he supervised a network of weather stations and met Chairman Mao Zedong.

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