International Geophysics in the Interwar Period, 1919-1939

Geophysics, or the study of Earth using the tools and methods of physics, is often understood to have begun in the post-WWII period. However, the period between the world wars saw ferment and innovation in the field, and the emergence of the term geophysics itself.

In his latest research, Dr. Erik Isberg, postdoctoral researcher at the KTH Institute of Technology and the University of Copenhagen, uncovers the emergence of geophysics as a science and an international industry during the interwar period. Using the Sun oil collection held in the Hagley Library, Isberg found that intense basic research between the wars laid the foundation for the postwar revolutions in how we view and govern our world.

In support of his work, Isberg received funding from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society at the Hagley Museum and Library. 

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