Waterfalls, science and aesthetics

Abstract

Waterfalls and rapids are a subject of study by scientists and scholars from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. Unlike cave research, known as speleology, which also involves many different disciplines, the study of waterfalls is not generally regarded as a distinct branch of knowledge. Long neglected as subjects of research, waterfalls have received considerable attention since the 1980s. This paper traces the study of waterfalls from the late eighteenth century, a period when both a scientific and an aesthetic interest in landscape developed in Europe, to the present. The work of geographers, geologists and others who studied landforms and landscapes is examined, with particular attention to those who expressed a special interest in waterfalls, notably Alexander von Humboldt. The study argues that the scientific and aesthetic approaches to landscape research are not incompatible and supports the view that both are necessary for a full understanding and appreciation of the environment in which we live.

Keywords:

• waterfalls
• landscape research
• science and aesthetics
• Humboldt

Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the valuable comments and suggestions made by the editor and two anonymous reviewers on an earlier draft of the paper. He is also grateful to the Tourist Office, Terni, Italy and Alina Oswald, New York, for permission to use the images in Figures 3 and 5, respectively.