QUERVAIN, MARCEL ROLAND DE

born May 17, 1915, Zrich, Switz. Swiss glaciologist known for his fundamental work on the metamorphism and physical properties of snow. Quervain was assistant director (194350) and director (from 1950 until his retirement in 1980) of the Swiss Snow and Avalanche Research Institute. He offered major contributions in the development of avalanche warning systems and methods of treating snow problems. In 1959 he was a member of the International Glaciological Expedition to Greenland, where he studied the stratification and structure of the ice sheet. He served as vice president of the International Association for Scientific Hydrology from 1968 to 1971, and in 1975 Quervain was elected president of the International Glaciological Society.