The Struve Geodetic Arc: the development of the triangulation, technical possibilities, and the initiation of the project

• Published in: History of Geo- and Space Sciences
• Main Author: R. Puziene
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2019
• Subjects: Science; Q; Geology; QE1-996.5; Dynamic and structural geology; QE500-639.5; Physics; QC1-999; Geophysics. Cosmic physics; QC801-809; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Struve
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/hgss-10-269-2019; https://doaj.org/article/06287171c1c546b398c33cc1cd67a08a

The determination of parameters of the Earth's ellipsoid is quite a difficult task that gives no rest to scientists to this day. One of the more famous works is the Struve Geodetic Arc, which was stretched from the Black Sea to the Arctic Ocean by employing the method of a triangulation network and which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. However, until this project was implemented, many steps of scientific and technological advancement had to be taken, the entirety of which created the conditions for the realization of this project. A study of the method of triangulation measurements, the development of geodetic devices, the state politics of the Russian Empire in the 17th–19th centuries in the field of geodesy, and the development of triangulation during this period are presented in the article. Moreover, a study of the origins of the Struve Geodetic Arc project that led to such a grand result is conducted. The obtained results reveal that certain factors predetermined the favourable conditions for the successful execution of the project of this geodetic arc.