Erich von Drygalski

Erich Dagobert von Drygalski
Pictured c. 1900–1920.
BornFebruary 9, 1865 (1865-02-09)
DiedJanuary 10, 1949 (1949-01-11) (aged 83)
NationalityGerman
Occupation(s)Geographer, Geophysicist, and polar scientist.

Erich Dagobert von Drygalski (German: [ˈeːʁɪç ˈdaːɡobɛʁt fɔn dʁyˈɡalski]; February 9, 1865 – January 10, 1949) was a German geographer, geophysicist and polar scientist, born in Königsberg, East Prussia.

Between 1882 and 1887, Drygalski studied mathematics and natural science at the University of Königsberg, Bonn, Berlin and Leipzig. He graduated with a doctorate thesis about ice shields in Nordic areas. Between 1888 and 1891, he was an assistant at the Geodetic Institute and the Central Office of International Geodetics in Berlin.

Drygalski led two expeditions between 1891 and 1893, which were supplied by the Society for Geoscience of Berlin. One expedition wintered during the winter between 1892 and 1893 in Western Greenland. He habilitated 1889 for geography and geophysics with the collected scientific evidence. In 1898, Drygalski became associate professor and 1899 extraordinary professor for geography and geophysics in Berlin.