Georg von Neumayer and geomagnetic research

Abstract

Neumayer was a prominent figure in the development of geophysics in the 19th century from a scientific as well as from an organisational point of view. In this paper we review and highlight his activities and efforts in geomagnetic research within five different aspects of geomagnetism: regional geomagnetic surveys, geomagnetic work in German naval observatories, geomagnetic investigations during the First Polar Year 1882/83, modifications of the Gaussian theory, and geomagnetic charts. In each field Neumayer was a researcher, a thinker, and a stimulating coordinator.