The First International Oceanography Congress held in Spain (Seville, 1929)

Numerous scientists and technical experts from the Atlantic (ICES) and Mediterranean (ICSEM) areas came together at the 1st International Oceanography Congress held in Spain (Seville, May 1-7, 1929). In the course of its sessions, the "Oceanography Section of the International Geodesy and Geophysics Union" (IGGU) and the "International Commission for Standardising the Methods and Instruments Used in Oceanographic and Hydrologic Research Work" also came together. The meeting had the unique privilege of using, as its venue, the Palacio de la Plaza de Espana, built expressly for the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition at Seville, which was inaugurated for the occasion. IGGU's General Assembly, held in Prague (1927), designated the Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia (Spanish Institute of Oceanography, IEO) as the hosting organisation for the International Oceanography, Marine Hydrography, and Continental Hydrology Congress. Under the leadership of Dr. Odon de Buen (1863-1945) from IGGU's Oceanography Section as arranged with ICES's Council, whose Chairman, H.G. Maurice since 1920 was a member of the British delegation, an attendance by 129 scientists hailing from 35 countries comprising the Americas, central Europe and such distant countries as Australia, China and Japan was achieved. On the oceanographic side, the most significant contributions were in the field of physics, notably, general oceanic flow, seasonal oceanic temperature variations, plus the first worldwide presentation of the valued Helland-Hansen method (the Temperature Anomaly Method). Particularly brilliant at the scientific exhibition of apparatuses and instruments were the presentations by Charles Louis Florisson, Pierre Marti, Pierre Idrac, and by Otto Pettersson (ICES founder) on innovative apparatuses.The Seville Oceanography Congress, together with the immediately preceding (April 1929) plenary meetings of ICSEM's General Assembly held at Malaga, consolidated Spain's status in the area of international oceanographic cooperation, which was subsequently strengthened vis-a-vis the Americas with the Ist Ibero-American Oceanography Conference (Madrid-Malaga, April 1935), encompassed within the 1925-1940 period termed by G. Wust as the "age of national systematic and dynamic oceanic surveys" .