Georg Sars
Encyclopedia
Georg Ossian Sars was a Norwegian
marine biologist.
Georg Ossian Sars was born on April 20, 1837, in Kinn, Norway
(now part of Flora
), the son of Michael Sars
and Maren Sars
; the historian Ernst Sars
was his elder brother, and the singer Eva Nansen
was his younger sister. He grew up in Manger
, Hordaland
, where his father was the local priest. He studied from 1852 to 1854 at Bergen Cathedral School, from 1854 at Christiania Cathedral School, and joined the university at Christiana (now the University of Oslo
) in 1857. He indulged his interest in natural history
while studying medicine; having collected water fleas in local lakes with Wilhelm Lilljeborg
's works, he discovered new species, and this resulted in his first scientific publication. Georg Ossian Sars had a good memory and excellent drawing skills, and illustrated some of his father's zoological works.
Sars was a founding investigator of ichthyoplankton
. In 1864, he was commissioned by the Norwegian government to investigate fisheries around the Norwegian coast. One of his first discoveries was that the eggs of cod
are pelagic, that is, they inhabit the open water column. He continued to receive the patronage
of the government throughout his career. Sars' primary research focus was on crustacean
s and their systematics
. He described
many new species in his career, including in his magnum opus
, An Account of the Crustacea of Norway. He was awarded the Linnean Medal
in 1910.
Georg Ossian Sars never married, and died on April 9, 1927 in Oslo
. He is remembered in the scientific names of a number of marine invertebrate
s, as well as the journal Sarsia, and the flagship of the Norwegian research fleet
, the RV G.O.Sars.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
marine biologist.
Georg Ossian Sars was born on April 20, 1837, in Kinn, Norway
Kinn
Kinn is a small island west of the town of Florø in the municipality of Flora, Norway. The island lies about west of the neighboring island of Reksta and the village of Rognaldsvåg, which is the main population center for the area...
(now part of Flora
Flora, Norway
Flora is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Florø, which was founded in 1860, has 8,448 inhabitants . The Eikefjord area, which is the second largest place in Flora, has about...
), the son of Michael Sars
Michael Sars
Michael Sars was a Norwegian theologian and biologist.-Biography:Sars was born in Bergen, Norway. He studied natural history and theology at Royal Frederick University from 1823 and completed a cand.theol. degree in 1828. For several years he taught at a number of different schools, firstly in...
and Maren Sars
Maren Sars
Maren Cathrine Sars was a Norwegian socialite.-Personal life:She was born in Bergen as a daughter of priest Johan Ernst Welhaven and Else Margrethe Cammermeyer...
; the historian Ernst Sars
Ernst Sars
Johan Ernst Welhaven Sars was a Norwegian historian, publicist and editor. His main work was Udsigt over den norske Historie, four volumes issued from 1873 to 1891. He co-edited the magazines Nyt norsk Tidskrift from 1877 to 1878, and Nyt Tidsskrift from 1882 to 1887...
was his elder brother, and the singer Eva Nansen
Eva Nansen
Eva Helene Nansen was a celebrated Norwegian mezzosoprano singer. She was also a pioneer of women's skiing.-Personal life:...
was his younger sister. He grew up in Manger
Manger, Norway
Manger is a former municipality in Hordaland county, Norway.It was created as Manger formannskapsdistrikt in 1837. On 1 January 1871 the district Herdla with 2,484 inhabitants split away to form a municipality of its own, and on 1 January 1910 the same thing happened with Hjelme. The splits left...
, Hordaland
Hordaland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...
, where his father was the local priest. He studied from 1852 to 1854 at Bergen Cathedral School, from 1854 at Christiania Cathedral School, and joined the university at Christiana (now the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
) in 1857. He indulged his interest in natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
while studying medicine; having collected water fleas in local lakes with Wilhelm Lilljeborg
Wilhelm Lilljeborg
Wilhelm Lilljeborg was a Swedish zoologist. He is particularly known for his work on the Cladocera of Sweden, and on the Balaenoptera. Lilljeborg was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from 1861.-References:...
's works, he discovered new species, and this resulted in his first scientific publication. Georg Ossian Sars had a good memory and excellent drawing skills, and illustrated some of his father's zoological works.
Sars was a founding investigator of ichthyoplankton
Ichthyoplankton
Ichthyoplankton are the eggs and larvae of fish. They are usually found in the sunlit zone of the water column, less than 200 metres deep, which is sometimes called the epipelagic or photic zone...
. In 1864, he was commissioned by the Norwegian government to investigate fisheries around the Norwegian coast. One of his first discoveries was that the eggs of cod
Atlantic cod
The Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, is a well-known demersal food fish belonging to the family Gadidae. It is also commercially known as cod, codling or haberdine....
are pelagic, that is, they inhabit the open water column. He continued to receive the patronage
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
of the government throughout his career. Sars' primary research focus was on crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s and their systematics
Systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
. He described
Species description
A species description or type description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously, or are...
many new species in his career, including in his magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
, An Account of the Crustacea of Norway. He was awarded the Linnean Medal
Linnean Medal
The Linnean Medal of the Linnean Society of London was established in 1888, and is awarded annually to alternately a botanist or a zoologist or to one of each in the same year...
in 1910.
Georg Ossian Sars never married, and died on April 9, 1927 in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. He is remembered in the scientific names of a number of marine invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s, as well as the journal Sarsia, and the flagship of the Norwegian research fleet
Research vessel
A research vessel is a ship designed and equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel, others require a dedicated vessel...
, the RV G.O.Sars.
External links
- The RV G.O. Sars
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology
- G.O. Sars Open Library
- BHL Online works by G. O. Sars