Drygalski, Erich von

Drygalski, Erich von āˈrĭkh fən drēgälˈskē [key], 1865–1949, German polar explorer. A professor of geography at the Univ. of Munich, he led an expedition that wintered (1892–93) in W Greenland. From 1901 to 1903 he led the German antarctic expedition in the Gauss to explore the unknown area of the Antarctic lying S of the Kerguelen Islands. Despite being trapped by ice for nearly 14 months, Drygalski discovered Kaiser Wilhelm II Land. Subsequently he wrote the narrative of the expedition and edited the voluminous scientific data (18 vol. and 3 atlases, 1905–26).

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