Axel Hamberg (17 January 1863 – 28 June 1933) was a Swedish mineralogist, geographer and explorer.

Biography

Hamberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the son of Nils Peter Hamberg (1815-1902) and Emma Augusta Christina Härnström (1833-1914). Hamberg became a student at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

in 1881, philosophy candidate in 1888 and was awarded a Licentiate degree in 1893. He became an associate professor of mineralogy and crystallography in the same year at Stockholm University. In 1907, he received his philosophy doctor and was appointed as an extra ordinary professor at the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

. He served as a professor in geography at Uppsala until 1928. In 1883, he attended the expedition of

Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (18 November 183212 August 1901) was a Finland-Swedish aristocrat, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer. He was a member of the Fenno-Swedish Nordenskiöld family of scientists and held the title of a friher ...

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

and in 1898 accompanied on the expedition of Alfred Nathorst on the ship "Antarctic" to Svalbard and

Kong Karls Land Kong Karls Land or King Charles Land is an island group in the Svalbard archipelago, in the Arctic Ocean. The island group covers an area of and is made up of the islands of Kongsøya, Svenskøya, Abel Island, Helgoland Island, and Tirpitzøy ...

. At the

General Art and Industrial Exposition of Stockholm The General Art and Industrial Exposition of Stockholm of 1897 ( sv, Allmänna konst- och industriutställningen) also known as Stockholm Exhibition or Stockholm World's Fair (''Stockholmsutställningen'') was a World's Fair staged in 1897 in Stoc ...

of 1897, he received a gold medal for an exhibition of Scandinavian minerals. He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1905. He was elected to membership by the

Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala The Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskaps-Societeten i Uppsala), is the oldest of the royal academies in Sweden, having been founded in 1710. The society has, by royal decree of 1906, 50 Swedish fellows and 100 foreign. ...

in 1916 and by the

Royal Physiographic Society in Lund The Royal Physiographic Society in Lund ( sv, Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet i Lund), is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. It was founded in Lund, on December 2, 1772, and received a Royal Charter by Gustav III, on March 6, 1778.

in 1929. He held the presidency of the International Glacier Commission from 1913 until 1927.

Personal life

Hamberg was married in 1912 with Sigrid Charlotta Nordlund (1885-1959). His wife was a poet whose work appeared in such magazines as ''Idun'' and ''Svea''. Their son, Per Gustaf Hamberg (1913-1978), was a professor of art history and art theory at the

University of Gothenburg The University of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs universitet) is a university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current Swedish universities and with 37,000 students and 6000 st ...

Awards and honors

The Spitsbergen

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

Hambergbreen is named after him. The Bjørnøya mountain of Hambergfjellet is named after him. The Hamberg Glacier of South Georgia and the Hamberg Glacier of NE

are named after him. The mineral hambergite was named after him in 1890.

References

1863 births 1933 deaths Scientists from Stockholm Uppsala University alumni Uppsala University faculty Swedish explorers Swedish mineralogists Swedish geographers Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Members of the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala {{sweden-bio-stub