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Chronicles of Physical Oceanography
The Spilhaus Projection and a New Vision of the World's Oceans
On this day in history,...
...in 1979, the Smithsonian magazine published an article by oceanographer and geophysicist Athelstan Spilhaus titled "To See the Oceans, Slice Up the Land." This article introduced a groundbreaking cartographic projection designed to place the world's oceans at the center of our visual perception of the planet.
The Spilhaus projection is an azimuthal map that rearranges the continents, presenting them as disjointed landmasses while the global ocean appears as a continuous, uninterrupted body of water. This unique approach challenges the traditional land-centered perspectives of most maps and highlights the interconnected nature of the world's oceans. Spilhaus, an advocate for ocean sciences, developed the projection to emphasize the importance of oceanography and to foster a greater appreciation of Earth's marine systems.
Athelstan Spilhaus was a visionary scientist and engineer with significant contributions in oceanography, meteorology, and technology policy. His projection remains an influential tool in oceanographic and educational contexts, offering a fresh perspective on the dominant role of the oceans in shaping Earth's climate, ecosystems, and human civilization.
Sources
- Spilhaus, A. (November 1979). "To See the Oceans, Slice Up the Land." Smithsonian, p. 54–63.
- "Athelstan Spilhaus" - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athelstan_Spilhaus#cite_note-14
- "The Spilhaus Projection: A Map to View the World’s Oceans" - ArcGIS StoryMaps: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/756bcae18d304a1eac140f19f4d5cb3d
(Note: The date November 10 has been chosen arbitrarily, as we only know that the article was published in November 1979. If anyone has the exact publication date, we will update it accordingly.)