Hans Jakob Konrad Wilhelmsson Ahlmann (14 November 1889 – 10 March 1974) was a Swedish geographer, glaciologist, and diplomat. Born in Karlsborg, Sweden, Ahlmann grew up in Stockholm. He studied with Professor

Gerard De Geer Baron Gerard Jacob De Geer (20 November 1858 – 24 July 1943) was a Swedish geologist who made significant contributions to Quaternary geology, particularly geomorphology and geochronology. De Geer is best known for his work on varves. In 1890 D ...

at Stockholm University, and gained his doctorate in 1915 on a doctoral thesis on Sweden's Lake Ragundasjön. The same year, he became an associate professor of geography at the University of Stockholm. He was appointed Associate Professor of Geography 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 1920 and professor at the Stockholm University from 1929 until 1950. He was a very active field worker and led an expedition to

Nordaustlandet Nordaustlandet (sometimes translated as North East Land) is the second-largest island in the archipelago of Svalbard, Norway, with an area of . It lies north east of Spitsbergen, separated by Hinlopen Strait. Much of Nordaustlandet lies under la ...

(North East Land) in the Svalbard archipelago in Norway in the spring of 1931. In 1934 he returned to Svalbard with Professor Harald Ulrik Sverdrup, this time to explore the glaciers on Vestspitsbergen. He examined the

Vatnajökull Vatnajökull ( Icelandic pronunciation: , literally "Glacier of Lakes"; sometimes translated as Vatna Glacier in English) is the largest and most voluminous ice cap in Iceland, and the second largest in area in Europe after the Severny Island i ...

(Vatna Glacier) in Iceland in 1936, and led in the winter of 1939–40 the Swedish-Norwegian study of glaciers in Greenland. In 1946, he led investigations of glaciers on Mount Kebnekaise in Sweden. He was one of the initiators of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition in 1949–1952, and leader of the expedition's Swedish committee. In 1937 he was awarded the Hans Egede Medal by the Royal Danish Geographical Society. He was elected to the

Swedish Academy of Science The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for prom ...

in 1939 and in the same year awarded the

Patron's Medal The Royal Geographical Society's Gold Medal consists of two separate awards: the Founder's Medal 1830 and the Patron's Medal 1838. Together they form the most prestigious of the society's awards. They are given for "the encouragement and promoti ...

of the British Royal Geographical Society. During the 1940s, Ahlmann was an international authority on the relationship between climate and glacier size, concluding that the glaciers were retreating. He was awarded the

Cullum Geographical Medal The Cullum Geographical Medal is one of the oldest awards of the American Geographical Society. It was established in the will of George Washington Cullum, the vice president of the Society, and is awarded "to those who distinguish themselves by ...

of the

American Geographical Society The American Geographical Society (AGS) is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the ...

in 1950. He was a member of several other scientific academies, among them the

Prussian Academy of Sciences The Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences (german: Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften) was an academy established in Berlin, Germany on 11 July 1700, four years after the Prussian Academy of Arts, or "Arts Academy," to which "Berlin ...

and the

Academy of Sciences Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (german: Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften), short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded ...

.List of Members , Hans Ahlmann
/ref> Ahlmann, whose Norwegian wife gave him a good network of contacts in Norway, was a member of the Swedish-Norwegian Association during World War II, and was the 1950–1956 Swedish ambassador in Oslo. From 1956 to 1960, he served as president of the

International Geographical Union The International Geographical Union (IGU; french: Union Géographique Internationale, UGI) is an international geographical society. The first International Geographical Congress was held in Antwerp in 1871. Subsequent meetings led to the estab ...

Legacy

A number of geographical features are named after him: *Ahlmannfonna Glacier on Nordaustlandet, Svalbard * Ahlmann Glacier in Seligmanfjorden in Antarctica *

Ahlmann Ridge Ahlmann Ridge, also known as Ahlmannryggen, is a broad, mainly ice-covered ridge, about long, surmounted by scattered, low peaks. It rises between Schytt Glacier and Jutulstraumen Glacier and extends from Borg Massif northward to Fimbul Ice Shelf ...

Dronning Maud Land Queen Maud Land ( no, Dronning Maud Land) is a roughly region of Antarctica claimed by Norway as a dependent territory. It borders the claimed British Antarctic Territory 20° west and the Australian Antarctic Territory 45° east. In a ...

, Antarctica

References

* Translated from equivalent article on Swedish Wikipedia, which includes material from Norwegian Wikipedia article on Hans Wilhelmsson Ahlmann, 19 February 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahlman, Hans Wilhelmsson 1889 births 1974 deaths Swedish geographers Swedish diplomats Swedish glaciologists Presidents of the International Geographical Union Members of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences Members of the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Academic staff of Stockholm University Members of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina Members of the German Academy of Sciences at Berlin 20th-century geographers Ambassadors of Sweden to Norway