Susan Solomon

Susan Solomon (born 1956) is an American atmospheric chemist, working for most of her career at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In 2011, Solomon joined the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she serves as the Ellen Swallow Richards Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry & Climate Science. Solomon, with her colleagues, was the first to propose the chlorofluorocarbon free radical reaction mechanism that is the cause of the Antarctic ozone hole. In 2002, Discover magazine recognized her as one of the 50 most important women in science. In 2008, Solomon was selected by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She also serves on the Science and Security Board for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Biography

Early life Solomon was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her interest in science began as a child watching The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. She is Jewish.

Work Solomon was the head of the Chemistry and Climate Processes Group of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Chemical Sciences Division until 2011. In 2011, she joined the faculty of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Books The Coldest March: Scott's Fatal Antarctic Expedition, Yale University Press, 2002 – Depicts the tale of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's failed 1912 Antarctic expedition, specifically applying the comparison of modern meteorological data with that recorded by Scott's expedition in an attempt to shed new light on the reasons for the demise of Scott's polar party. Aeronomy of the Middle Atmosphere: Chemistry and Physics of the Stratosphere and Mesosphere, 3rd Edition, Springer, 2005 – Describes the atmospheric chemistry and physics of the middle atmosphere from altitude.

The Ozone Hole Solomon, working with colleagues at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories, postulated the mechanism that the Antarctic ozone hole was created by a heterogeneous reaction of ozone and chlorofluorocarbons free radicals on the surface of ice particles in the high altitude clouds that form over Antarctica. In 1986 and 1987 Solomon led the National Ozone Expedition to McMurdo Sound, where the team gathered the evidence to confirm the accelerated reactions. Her team measured levels of chlorine oxide 100 times higher than expected in the atmosphere, which had been released by the decomposition of chlorofluorocarbons by ultraviolet radiation.

Solomon later showed that volcanoes could accelerate the reactions caused by chlorofluorocarbons, and so increase the damage to the ozone layer. Her work formed the basis of the U.N. Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to protect the ozone layer by regulating damaging chemicals. Solomon has also presented some research which suggests that implementation of the Montreal Protocols is having a positive effect.

For her critical contribution to saving the ozone layer, Solomon was a winner of the 2021 Future of Life Award along with Joe Farman and Stephen O. Andersen. Jim Hansen, former Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Director of Columbia University's Program on Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions said, "In Farman, Solomon and Andersen we see the tremendous impact individuals can have not only on the course of human history, but on the course of our planet's history. My hope is that others like them will emerge in today's battle against climate change." Professor Guus Velders, a climate scientist at Utrecht University said, "Susan Solomon is a deserving recipient of the Future of Life Award. Susan not only explained the processes behind the formation of the ozone hole, she also played an active role as an interface between the science and policy of the Montreal Protocol."

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Solomon served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She was also co-chair of Working Group I for the Fourth Assessment Report.

Awards 1991 – Henry G. Houghton Award for research in physical meteorology, awarded by the American Meteorological Society 1994 – Solomon Saddle , a snow saddle at about elevation, named in her honor 1994 – Solomon Glacier , an Antarctic glacier named in her honor 1999 – National Medal of Science, awarded by the President of the United States 2000 – Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal, awarded by the American Meteorological Society 2004 – Blue Planet Prize, awarded by the Asahi Glass Foundation 2006 – V. M. Goldschmidt Award 2006 – Inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame 2007 – William Bowie Medal, awarded by the American Geophysical Union 2007 — Prix Georges Lemaître 2007 – As a member of IPCC, which received half of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, she shared a stage receiving the prize with Al Gore (who received the other half). 2008 – Grande Médaille (Great Medal) of the French Academy of Sciences 2008 – Foreign Member of the Royal Society 2008 – Member of the American Philosophical Society 2009 – Volvo Environment Prize, awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 2009 – Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame 2010 – Service to America Medal, awarded by the Partnership for Public Service 2010 – Knight of the Legion of Honor (Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur), awarded by the French government 2012 – Vetlesen Prize, for work on the ozone hole, shared with Jean Jouzel. She was the first woman to receive this prize. 2015 – Honorary Doctorate (honoris causa) from Brown University. 2017 – Arthur L. Day Prize and Lectureship by the National Academy of Sciences for substantive work in atmospheric chemistry and climate change 2018 – Bakerian Lecture 2018 – Crafoord Prize in Geosciences 2019 – Made one of the members of the inaugural class of the Government Hall of Fame 2021 – On 31 July she was appointed as ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences 2021 – 2021 Future of Life Award (Ozone Layer) 2023 – Honorary Doctorate from Duke University 2023 – Female Innovator Prize from the VinFuture Foundation 2026 – Tang Prize in the category of "Sustainable Development".