5 of 6

Write now Article Tools

Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873) is considered the first true oceanographer and his book "The physical geography of the sea" is the first oceanography textbook. Before Maury, the oceans were arguably not studied systematically and scientifically as people focused mainly to describe the commercial routes between countries and the sea conditions there individually. Maury's studies made the study of oceans become an independent branch of science.

Maury was assigned to the U.S. Hydrographic Office (Now U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office) in 1842 where he founded the Naval Depot of Charts. There he began the systematic collection of wind and current data from the ships' logs. Maury produced the first wind and current charts of the North Atlantic in 1847 and issued a plea for international cooperation in collecting data at Brussels Maritime Conference in 1853. He soon got the data he requested and was able to produce the first published atlases of sea conditions and sailing directions. His works were greatly appreciated as they helped increase the safety and speed of travelling at sea which had an important role then. In 1855, he published "The Physical Geography of the Sea", the first comprehensive book on oceanography which included charts of the Gulf Stream, the atmosphere at sea, currents, depths, winds, climates, storms and the first bathymetric chart of the North Atlantic. Maury did not simply describe the sea, he developed a new system of recording synoptic oceanographic data and put forward new idea about currents and conditions of the sea based on his knowledge. He was honoured not only in the U.S. but also in other countries because of his tireless work to improve understanding about the oceans. He was nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas" and "Scientist of the Seas".

Learn more about this author, Minh Tran.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Matthew Fontaine Maury's contributions to the field of oceanography?
We want to hear your view. Write now!