Bowie, William

Bowie, William

(1872–1940) geodesist; born in Annapolis Junction, Md. As a member of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (1895–1936), he performed triangulation, leveling, and pendulum measurements in the continental U.S.A., Alaska, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. His research on the influence of gravity on earth topography led to his seminal book, Isostasy, which advanced the concept that the earth's crust is in gravitational balance upon the earth's mantle.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Bowie, William

 

Born May 6, 1872, in Annapolis Junction, Maryland; died Aug. 28, 1940, in Washington. American geodesist and geophysicist. Member of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington;

From 1909 to 1940, Bowie directed the geodesic division of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. He was one of the initiators of gravimetrical work in the United States. His works are on the theory of isostasy and the application of geodesy to geophysics. He originated a method of equalizing first-class triangulation that was adopted in the United States.

WORKS

Investigations of gravity and isostasy. Washington, 1917.
Isostasy. New York, 1927.
In Russian translation:
Isostazii. Moscow-Leningrad, 1936.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.