Dr. Richard A. Vollenweider (1922–2007)

Abstract

Dr. Richard A. Vollenweider passed away peacefully on January 20th, 2007 in Burlington, Ontario after a long illness. He was born on the 27th of June, 1922 in Zurich, Switzerland, where he would eventually earn a Ph.D. in biology (Zurich, 1951) and quickly establish himself as one of the world's leading scholars on eutrophication. During a brief tenure with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, he published an important report, Scientific fundamentals of the eutrophication of lakes and flowing waters with particular reference to Nitrogen and Phosphorus as factors in eutrophication (OECD, 1971), which provided a new direction for controlling and treating water pollution. In 1968, at the invitation of Dr. J. R. Vallentyne, he accepted a position as head of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada Detachment at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW) in Burlington, ON. In this role, he was instrumental in launching the first multi-trophic, lake-wide and holistic biological surveys of the Great Lakes.Among his accomplishments, Dr. Vollenweider was responsible for developing the phosphorus loadings model which served as the guiding document for the establishment of a phosphorus abatement program under the terms of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. He published many landmark articles on the Great Lakes and eutrophication including the well known review paper, A comparative review of phytoplankton and primary production in the Laurentian Great Lakes, which quantified the relationship between phosphorous loadings, primary production and algal standing crop, and presented the scientific basis for phosphorous management plans as a means of controlling eutrophication (Vollenweider et al., 1974).Dr. Vollenweider advocated water management on a global basis and was highly regarded for his research on phosphorus abatement. In recognition of his lifetime work, he was awarded the prestigious Tyler Environmental Prize in 1986, which he shared with Werner Stumm. He was also awarded the Naumann-Thienemann Medal of the International Society of Limnology (SIL) and many other awards. Even after his retirement he remained very active. He strongly supported the establishment of the Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society (AEHMS) right from the initial stages of its conception and development. He also served enthusiastically on the advisory board for the society's major publications: Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management and the Ecovision World Monograph Series which he continued until he passed away. We greatly benefited by his vast knowledge, advice and reviews. He left a great legacy to the world of aquatic science in general and to the Great Lakes in particular. His research, guidance and foresight will serve the scientific community globally for a long time to come.Biography composed and compiled by:Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management SocietyBurlington, Ontario, Canada