Susan Solomon is an internationally recognized atmospheric scientist known for her pivotal revelations regarding the Antarctic ozone hole and her ongoing research into atmospheric chemistry and climate change, currently serving as a professor at MIT. After gaining international recognition for her groundbreaking work explaining the cause of the Antarctic ozone ‘hole’ in the mid-1980s, Susan Solomon went on to establish herself as a leading expert in atmospheric chemistry. Solomon and her colleagues proposed the mechanism that chlorofluorocarbon free radicals, reacting on the surface of high-altitude ice particles over Antarctica, were responsible for ozone depletion. Leading the National Ozone Expedition to McMurdo Sound in 1986 and again in 1987, Solomon spearheaded efforts to gather empirical evidence.
A prolific author, Solomon published ‘The Coldest March: Scott’s Fatal Antarctic Expedition’ in 2002, and the third edition of her authoritative scientific text, ‘Aeronomy of the Middle Atmosphere: Chemistry and Physics of the Stratosphere and Mesosphere’, in 2005. Since 2011, Solomon has been a distinguished faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, holding the prestigious position of Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies and Chemistry. Her ongoing research continues to explore critical areas of atmospheric chemistry and climate change, including the irreversibility of global warming due to anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and the complex impact of the ozone hole on Southern Hemisphere climate patterns. Her work provides essential scientific insights that inform global policy decisions on environmental protection.
Most recently, Solomon co-authored ‘Solvable: how we healed the earth, and how we can do it again’, released in 2024, offering a compelling narrative on successful environmental action and future solutions. Currently, Solomon remains at the forefront of climate science communication and research, continuing to shape understanding of the Earths atmosphere and its critical environmental challenges.