On 25 January 2024 the global community of geomorphologists lost one of the biggest persons in the history of the discipline, Professor Denys Brunsden. Not only was he a brilliant, visionary scientist, always eager to explore new avenues of research and to challenge established views, but will be also remembered as one of the founding fathers of the International Association of Geomorphologists, its staunch promoter, supporter of young geomorphologists from everywhere on the planet (including the author of this note!), straight and most amiable man, both in a lecture room as well as in the field.
Denys Brunsden was born on 14 March 1936 in Devon, south-west England, attended a school in Torquay and then joined the Royal Air Force to do his National Service. Perhaps surprisingly, the military service influenced much of his further career in academia, as it is the army where he learnt the skills of air photo interpretation – a most useful tool in geomorphological research, especially at large scales of inquiry. In 1956 he was enrolled as a geography student at King’s College of the University of London and had an opportunity to learn from Professor S.W. Wooldridge, one of the most eminent British geomorphologists of that time and a keen follower of the denudation chronology concept. No wonder, therefore, that in the early years of Denys’ research career issues of long-term landscape evolution were also strongly represented and his doctoral thesis was focused on the denudation chronology of Dartmoor. He will be associated with the King’s College for his entire academic career, until retirement.
However, a visit to New Zealand in 1965 (a country that he always recommended to geomorphologists “to see before they die” – quotation from one of his position papers) opened his eyes to a different kind of geomorphology: much more dynamic, with major changes accomplished at short time scales, with the key role of tectonics, and so much relevant to the society. Back in England, he found a great research playground so close to his home, where he could develop ideas of dynamic, short time-response geomorphology, look at processes at work, and show that geomorphology matters. These were the cliffed coasts of East Devon and Dorset, with their abundance of landslides, mudflows, and ever-changing sandy and shingle beaches. Not only did he publish a series of original papers, but contributed many conceptual papers to journals and edited monographs and co-authored “Geomorphology and Time” (together with John Thornes) – a book highly stimulating intellectually, well ahead of the time. The 1970s were also the period when Denys became strongly involved in applied geomorphology, undertaking projects and consultancy work both in Britain and abroad, especially in the Middle East. In 1979 he (co-)established Geomorphological Services Ltd, the first geomorphological consultancy enterprise in the UK.
In the next decade, in addition to all activities pursued already, he embarked himself on a mission to establish a global scientific association that would unite geomorphologists of different origin and background. Working together with Professor Jess H. Walker and several other visionary geomorphologists, travelling extensively and persuading the sceptics, he saw the dream fulfilled in the late 1980s, first in Manchester in 1985, where the First International Conference on Geomorphology was held, and then in Frankfurt (Germany) in 1989, where the International Association of Geomorphologists was founded during the Second International Conference on Geomorphology. Not at all surprising was then the election of Denys Brunsden to become the first President of the IAG, a position that he held until the next international conference in 1993. In recognition of his outstanding service to the global geomorphological community Denys was awarded Honorary Fellowship of the IAG in 1997, whereas a special Brunsden Medal was established by the IAG to honour those particularly involved in organizational matters of the associaion, with the first awardee (Mauro Soldati) announced in 2013.
Towards the end of the 20th century another field of interest and activity became prominent in Denys’ life. Many years of investigating geomorphology of the Devon and Dorset Coast made him realizing that this coastal landscape, with significant geology underpinning dynamic geomorphology and outstanding scenery, is not only aesthetically pleasant (as long appreciated by thousands of visitors), but also important scientifically and this at the global scale. Thus, he became involved in a project aimed at the inscription of the Dorset and East Devon Coast on the World Heritage List, effected in 2001. Arguments for inscription under criterion (viii), emphasizing global significance of geology and geomorphology and arising from Denys’ research (among others), were particularly strong.
In 1996 he retired from King’s College, but remained active in the IAG, attending its conferences in person until 2013 (health issues prevented his travels in Delhi, 2017, and Coimbra, 2022, but online presence was arranged instead), and was involved in many regional and local initiatives and projects.
There is a long list of distinctions and awards that Denys received. Besides the Honorary Fellowship of the IAG, he was the recipient of Gill Award from the Royal Geographical Society (1977), David Linton Award of the British Geomorphological Research Group (1993), William Smith Medal from the Geological Society of London (2000). In 2003 he was appointed to the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth for his services to Geoconservation and Geomorphology. Denys was also a honorary fellow of Polish Association of Geomorphologists.
The 2020s were the years of deteriorating health, and the pandemics further limited contacts with other geomorphologists, which Denys enjoyed so much. For instance, it was impossible to organize an event, at which a research monograph “Landscapes and Landforms of England and Wales” (published in 2020) dedicated to him could have been presented. The ultimate departure of Denys Brunsden caused a great sorrow among geomorphologists worldwide, so many helped and advised by Denys at different occasions and stages of career. As mentioned in the obituary note published by the Geological Society, after the funeral ceremony in Chideock in Dorset where he lived, his ashes were scattered onto the coastal landslide of Stonebarrow, going now slowly seaward. It is also necessary to mention the strong support Denys enjoyed throughout his life from his wife Elizabeth.
The author of this note had the privilege of long personal acquaintance with Denys Brunsden, which began during his visit to Poland in 1993. Denys was very supportive during my first research stay in England in 1994, helped to establish contacts with other UK geomorphologists, introduced me to the world of the IAG and showed huge trust that I could become an effective secretary of the Association, which occurred in the term 1997–2001. I also had great fun visiting some of the Dorset landslides with Denys during a memorable field trip with Oxford students in 1996, and enjoyed a common visit to Taiwan in 2009. The last time I met Denys in person was hot summer of 2018, where we had a most pleasant lunch at the cottage of Professors Andrew Goudie and Heather Viles in the Isle of Portland.
No doubt that we lost a great personality.
Piotr Migoń
Find a reference list of Denys Brunsden’s research here.
The IAG is glad to promote the publication of “River Health Assessment – A Study on Mahananda River, India“, written by Suman Mitra, Lakpa Tamang and Sunil Kumar De, and published by Springer in the Springer Geography series.
