Research Scientist
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
(profile at the time of induction in 2004)
Susan Solomon is widely recognized as one of the leaders in the field of atmospheric science. Since receiving her PhD degree in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in l98l, she has been employed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a research scientist. Her scientific papers have provided not only key measurements but also theoretical understanding regarding ozone destruction, especially the role of surface chemistry.
In l986 and l987, Dr. Solomon served as the Head Project Scientist of the National Ozone Expedition at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, and made some of the first measurements there that pointed towards chlorofluorocarbons as the cause of the ozone hole. In l994, an Antarctic glacier was named in her honor in recognition of that work. In March of 2000, she received the National Medal of Science, the United States' highest scientific honor, for "key insights in explaining the cause of the Antarctic ozone hole."
Dr. Solomon's current research includes climate change and ozone depletion. She is a member of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences and a Foreign Associate of both the French Academy of Sciences and the European Academy of Sciences. She presently serves as co-chair of Working Group 1 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), providing scientific information to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
