Troll, Carl (1899–1975)

Carl Troll was a German geographer who developed the concept of landscape ecology and made significant contributions to the study of high-mountain geography. He also served as president of the International Geographical Union from 1960 to 1964.

Troll was born in Bavaria, Germany, on December 24, 1899. He studied at the University of Munich, obtaining a doctorate in botany (1921) and another in geography (1925). Between 1926 and 1929, he undertook an extensive research journey through the Andes, during which he expanded on the concepts and research of his famous countryman, Alexander von Humboldt. His mountain studies were extended to Eastern and Southern Africa in the 1930s, and he was a member of the disastrous German expedition to Nanga Parbat in 1937. In 1930, he was appointed professor of colonial and overseas geography in Berlin. He moved to Bonn University in 1938.

His major achievements prior to the outbreak of World War II include the application of air photography to the analysis of landscape and formalization and adaptation of the concept of Landschaftsökologie (landscape ecology) to the study of Hochgebirge (high mountains); he applied the theory of altitudinal zonation to both the physical and the human and cultural aspects of mountains. However, his numerous publications in German made little impact on the English-speaking world until after the war. Yet [Page 2885]his treatise on patterned ground and frozen/periglacial phenomena at high altitude (1944) attracted U.S. military intelligence. It was republished in English translation (1948), thereby introducing his work to a worldwide readership.

At enormous personal risk, Troll protected his Jewish colleague, Professor Alfred Philippson, and his family from death in a concentration camp, through his contact with the pro-Nazi Swede Sven Hedin, a confidant of Hitler. After the war, Troll played a crucial role in reintegrating German geography into the international community, which was recognized by his election as president of the International Geographical Union in 1960. This led to acceptance of his proposal for an IGU Commission on High-Altitude Geoecology in 1968, which he chaired until 1972, when ill health forced him to resign.

Troll used the vehicle of what developed as the “Mountain Commission” to interest international scholars in working together to expand mountain research worldwide. He attracted to the commission younger scholars, many of whom became leaders in the field, from Poland, Russia, Switzerland, Kenya, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, as well as his own students and colleagues throughout Germany. Thus, he created a powerful research network. While he did not live to see this infectious concept and effective teamwork develop as a force for creating worldwide awareness about mountains, his life's contribution provided the vital catalyst.

One of Troll's special interests centered on the explanation of the factors affecting the position of the upper timberline worldwide. He also exuded an enthusiasm for terminology. His prewar development of climate diagrams was outstanding for its time. In 1947, he founded and edited the quarterly journal Erdkunde (Earth Study). Many of his students became leaders in mountain research, including Olov Hedberg, Masatoshi Yoshino, and Frederich-Karl Holtmeier. His enthusiasm and charisma were overriding personality characteristics that did much to extend his influence. He died in Bonn in 1975.

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