G. Herbert Fowler (1861-1940): The forgotten oceanographer

Abstract

The name of G. Herbert Fowler is still familiar to oceanographers as the editor of Science of the Sea (I) which appeared in 1912. His contribution to marine science is otherwise only remembered by those familiar with his researches on plankton. He won a more enduring reputation late in life and in a totally different field— the study of archives and local history (2). Yet Fowler’s scientific career is of interest today, not because his contributions to knowledge placed him in the front rank of marine zoologists, which is arguable, but because of the way in which at each stage of his career he looked beyond his own researches to the broader needs of the subject and attempted to provide for them, both in theory and in practice. Fowler’s contributions to oceanography fall into three categories. Firstly, his own work as a marine zoologist and academic led him to become involved in one of the major oceanographic controversies of the turn of the century, the debate about a mid water fauna, and to develop new approaches to plankton studies. Secondly, as co-founder and secretary of the Challenger Society, he was instrumental in providing a much-needed representative body for marine scientists in Britain. Thirdly, work at the Admiralty during World War I convinced him of the significance of physical oceanography to national defence and led him to make proposals for future research which were partially adopted by the Royal Navy during the post-war years.