Life
Prof. Dr. phil. Dr. rer. nat. h. c. Geiger was among those scientists whose insights add to the body of knowledge and invigorate research. Through systematic investigations, he laid the foundations for "micrometeorology," "microclimatology," and, in particular, "forest meteorology." His 180 publications—as well as his lectures and talks—were characterized by their clarity, richness of content, and vitality. The name Rudolf Geiger remains linked to seminal works such as Das Klima der bodennahen Luftschicht (The Climate of the Air Layer Near the Ground) and Mikroklima und Pflanzenklima (Microclimate and Plant Climate), as well as the wall maps Klimate der Erde (Climates of the Earth) and Atmosphäre der Erde (Atmosphere of the Earth), and the transparency series Klima der Kontinente (Climate of the Continents) within the Perthes Transparent Atlas.
His correlation of meteorological phenomena with the processes and effects observed across all biological and technical domains also fostered the development of "applied climatology" and "environmental research." In 1948, he succeeded Prof. August Schmauß as Full Professor of Meteorology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. In this capacity, he also directed the Institute for Forest Meteorology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. He worked with Wladimir Köppen on climatology, hence the Köppen–Geiger climate classification. Following his retirement in 1959, the scholar spent his twilight years in his large home in Munich-Pasing, together with his wife, with whom he had shared his life for over sixty years.
