Mario Tenani

Vocation

Italian geophysicist, who authored numerous publications on various subjects, particularly terrestrial and oceanographic magnetism, mostly resulting from direct measurements carried out in various places. In particular, he made remarkable contributions to knowledge of the tide regime in the Mediterranean and Red Seas. A skilful experimenter, he was actively interested in various issues related to instrumental practice, in particular relating to the use of naval bushes: he introduced new measurement techniques, perfected geophysical instruments and created new ones, among them a correnter, for rapid reliefs on marine currents, and a ground inducer suitable for measuring inclination and magnetic delimitation. He started his career at the archaeological site of Vigna di Valle, near Rome (1915), then became professor in charge of aerology at the Politecnico di Torino (1920) and later at the naval academy of Livorno (1923), and in 1924 he was appointed an ordinary professor of meteorology and geophysics at the Marina Idrografico Institute in Genoa. A Lincei National Member (since 1950), he was among the founders of the Italian Geophysical Association, serving as its president from 1953 to 1955. He died in Genoa on 28 April 1955.