Arthur Berson

Arthur Josef Stanislaus Berson (6 August 1859 – 3 December 1942) was a German[1][2] meteorologist and pioneer of aerology who was a native of Neu Sandez, Galicia (now Nowy Sącz, Poland).

On 10 January 1902, with balloonist Hermann Elias (1876–1955), he set the German long-distance ballooning record, as the two men journeyed from Berlin to Poltava in the central Ukraine (1,470 kilometers in 30 hours).

These ascents were performed in order to study variances of climatic conditions above different locations in Europe, to work to bring about uniformity in methods of observation, and to create increased cooperation among nations in the new science of aerology.

He undertook high-altitude balloon ascents with the two physiologists, and conducted studies of decompression sickness with a pneumatic chamber located at the Jüdischen Krankenhaus (Jewish Hospital) in Berlin.

Other significant accomplishments by Berson include climatic studies with weather kites off of Svalbard, pioneer meteorological observations from German East Africa, and aerological research over the Amazon Basin.

With Richard Aßmann; Berson at the right