Henrik Breuning-Madsen (1949-2018)

Abstract

Henrik Breuning-Madsen was born in Frederiksberg. He received a Master degree in physical geography in 1975 and a PhD degree in 1978. In 1983, Breuning-Madsen was awarded a Doctorate degree based on the dissertation “Himmer land’s Soil Conditions” and was subsequently employed at the Ministry of Agriculture. Later, a long and successful university career followed, first as associate professor and in 1991 Breuning-Madsen became full professor of soil geography at the Department of Geography, University of Copenhagen. Breuning-Madsen’s researchwas based on soil retention of water linked to crop root development and thus crop irrigation needs. In the 1980s, Breuning-Madsenworked on a survey of ochre potential soils and developed a new method to map this. Breuning-Madsen was at the same time the leader of a project that collected around 2000 soil profiles, which played a central part for the construction of the Danish Soil Database, which today is among the most detailed soil databases in Europe. From the 1990s BreuningMadsen was involved in establishing a soil analysis database linked to the European soil map, known as European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC). During the period 1991–2015, Breuning-Madsen was responsible for establishing EcoLab, a soil and water analysis laboratory at the University of Ghana in Accra. The purpose was to give Master and Ph.D. students an opportunity to generate empirical data for their dissertations, and hundreds of students have since used the laboratory. Collaboration projects were established between Ghanaian and Danish researchers, and Breuning-Madsen initiated a number of concrete research projects based in Ghana. As part of the activities, Breuning-Madsen initiated the publication of the peer-reviewed journal West African Journal of Applied Ecology. In 1993, a series of unexplainable iron oxide layers were discovered in a Bronze Age burial mound in Denmark. Based on chemical analyses from several burial mounds and the construction of experimental mounds at the Lejre Historical Archaeological Research Centre, BreuningMadsen concluded, that it was the redox processes, which created the iron layers that surround coffins buried in Bronze Age mounds. In 2009, his research focussed on the origins of layers of peat and conserved vegetation in the famous Jelling burial mounds in central Jutland, Denmark. He concluded that the carbon content of clay soil in the VikingAgewas clearly higher than the averagemodern clay soil. This was attributed to the drainage of clay soils after 1850. These projects are exemplary of his great interest in historical and archaeological research, which became the focus of many innovative projects, frequently in collaboration with the National Museum in Denmark. Henrik Breuning-Madsen played a key role in the management of the Royal Danish Geographical Society for several decades. He joined the Society management as a board member in 2004 and was elected vice-president in 2015, a position he held with great commitment until his death. He contributed by giving several Society lectures based on his research and served as Editor in chief of the Danish Journal of Geography for several years. Hewas deeply involved in bothmodernizing the Society as well as making its collection of historical findings and assets accessible. These include the digitization of the Society’s photo archive consisting of more than 70,000 images taken on travels and expeditions across the globe since the early1900’s. Henrik Breuning-Madsen was one of the driving forces behind a large, ongoing book project on Danish expedition history, which in collaboration with the National Museum and with funds from the Augustinus Foundation will portray landmark Danish expeditions. The Royal Danish Geographical Society has lost a great personality and a good friend. Professor Henrik BreuningMadsen will always be remembered for his significant contribution to Geography and dedicated service to the Society as well as his many academic achievements.