Susan Solomon, PhD
Born 1956
Inducted 2006
Adopted by Her Friends and Colleagues at CIRES and the Univerity
of Colorado
Susan Solomon is widely recognized as a leading
scientific expert in the area of atmospheric research and is
a research scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
in Boulder. One of the leaders in the field of atmospheric chemistry,
Solomon received this nation’s highest scientific honor,
the National Medal of Science, for her work in linking manmade
chlorofluorcarbons (CFCs) and the ozone hole over the Antarctic.
Solomon’s work has become a cornerstone in the scientific
underpinning of international protocols to control CFCs and reduce
the danger to mankind from the loss of the ozone layer. Her scientific
papers have provided not only key measurements but also theoretical
understanding of ozone destruction and the causes of the ozone
hole in the Antarctic. Considered one of the world’s top
experts on the ozone issue and its impact on environment, Solomon
has testified before both Senate and House subcommittees. She shares
the distinction of being the youngest woman elected to the National
Academy of Sciences (at age 36 in 1992), and is also a Foreign
Associate of both the French Academy of Sciences and the European
Academy of Sciences. In addition, she is an avid history enthusiast
and is the author of The Coldest March, which describes the issues
associated with the failure of Captain Robert Scott’s 1911
expedition to Antarctica. A glacier in Antarctica is named after
her.
Solomon’s work to unravel the mysteries of the Antarctic
ozone hole has also helped scientists figure out the answers to
the larger picture of global climate change. She has been one of
the most important and influential researchers in atmospheric science
during the past 15 years. |
