Francois-Alphonse Forel created a legacy by spending a lifetime studying a lake near which he lived. As the recognized founder of the science of the study of lakes, limnology Forel meticulously observed Lake Geneva. His observations not only contributed directly to the modern-day ecological and environmental direction. He helped to uncover the mysteries of the seiche—movements caused by wind or air pressure and that occur in lakes.

Forel was born in Morges, Switzerland on February 2, 1841. As a professor of anatomy and physiology at the University of Geneva, (also known as Lake Le man) he spent most of his time investigating the life and movement of the lake near his home, world-famous Lake Geneva. To that purpose he created the word "limnology" referring to the study of lakes. On April 2, 1869, he found a nematode worm 40 meters...