The Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo: a chapter in the emergence and firm establishment of the oceanographic sciences in Brazil, 1946-1969

Historians of science have yet to study the process by which the oceanographic sciences emerged and became firmly established in Brazil. The main goal of this article is to offer a preliminary analysis of this process by focusing on the contribution of the Instituto Paulista de Oceanografia (Paulista Institute of Oceanography), Brazil’s first institution for oceanographic research; it was founded in 1946 and became part of the University of São Paulo in 1951, at which time it was renamed the Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo (Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo). The analysis centers on the role of three scientists who were on the facility’s early research staff: Wladimir Besnard, Ingvar Emilsson, and Marta Vannucci.

oceanographic sciences; Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo; Wladimir Besnard (1890-1960); Marta Vannucci (1921- ); Ingvar Emilsson (1926- )