Speaker
Description
Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsili (1658–1730) was the author of the Histoire Physique de la Mer (1725), a pioneering work that includes numerous data tables on the marine environment. Among these are observations of seabed contours, surface and deep-water temperature measurements, and data on the weight of seawater. Marsili conducted these measurements during his stay in France between 1706 and 1707. In particular, Table VII (p. 23) presents data Marsili himself collected near the Gulf of Lion through 14 samplings comparing seawater and freshwater density, while Table VIII contains data on the weight of distilled water. Although Marsili attempted to formulate hypotheses regarding salinity, his limited expertise in chemistry prevented him from proposing definitive explanations.
This study aims to retrace the historical and scientific context in which the Bolognese naturalist and military officer undertook his research on the sea and mountains in early 18th-century Languedoc. Special attention is devoted to reconstructing the methods Marsili employed in collecting his measurements, particularly those concerning the density of seawater. This involves a detailed examination of the instrument he used and his sampling procedures. The study also offers a comparative analysis between Marsili’s data and current measurements of seawater density in the same geographical areas.
