Susan Solomon

Susan Solomon Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies solos@mit.edu
Education
Ph.D., Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, 1981 , M.S., Chemistry, UC Berkeley, 1979 , B.S., Chemistry, Illinois Institute of Technology, 1977
Bio and Interests
Susan Solomon is internationally recognized as a leader in atmospheric science, particularly for her insights in explaining the cause of the Antarctic ozone "hole". She and her colleagues have made important contributions to understanding chemistry/climate coupling, including leading research on the irreversibility of global warming linked to anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, and on the influence of the ozone hole on the climate of the southern hemisphere. Her current focus is on issues relating to both atmospheric chemistry and climate change. Wikipedia Bio
Publications
2021



Wang, P., Scott, J.R., Solomon, S., Marshall, J., Babbin, A., Lickley, M., Thompson, D.W.J., DeVries, T., Liang, Q., Prinn, R.G., On the Effect of the Ocean on Atmospheric CFC-11 Lifetimes And Emissions. In press, 2021.



Solomon, S., Risks to the stratospheric ozone shield in the Anthropocene, Ambio, 50 (1), 44-48, 2021. Link to Article



Wilka, C., Solomon, S., Cronin, T.W., Kinnison, D., Garcia, R., Atmospheric Chemistry Signatures of an Equatorially Symmetric Matsuno-Gill Circulation Pattern, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 79 (1), 107-116, 2021. Link to Article



2020



Stone, K., Solomon, S., Kinnison, D.E., Prediction of Northern Hemisphere Regional Sea Ice Extent and Snow Depth Using Stratospheric Ozone Information, JGR Atmospheres, 125 (22), 2020. Link to Article



Shah, K.S., Solomon, S., Thompson, D.W.J., Kinnison, D.E., Evaluating stratospheric tropical width using tracer concentrations, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 125 (21), 2020. Link to Article



Wang, M., Fu, Q., Solomon, S., White, R.H., Alexander, B., Stratospheric Ozone in the Last Glacial Maximum, JGR Atmospheres, 125 (21), 2020. Link to Article



Yook, S., Thompson, DWJ., Solomon, S., Kim, SY., The Key Role of Coupled Chemistry-Climate Interactions in Tropical Stratospheric Temperature Variability, Journal of Climate, 33 (17) 7619-7629, 2020. Link to Article



Solomon, S., Alcamo, J., Ravishankara, AR., Unfinished business after five decades of ozone-layer science and policy, Nature Communications, 11 (1) 1-4, 2020. Link to Article



DeLisi, C., Patrinos, A., MacCracken, M., Drell, D., Annas, G., Arkin, A., Church, G., Cook-Deegan, R., Jacoby, H., Lidstrom, M., Melillo, J., Milo, R., Paustian, K., Reilly, J., Roberts, R., Segre, D., Solomon, S., Woolf, D., Wullschleger, S., Yang, X., The Role of Synthetic Biology in Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Prospects and Challenges, BioDesign Research, vol. 2020, 8 pages, 2020. Link to Article



Zambri, B., Kinnison, D.E., Solomon, S., Subpolar activation of halogen heterogeneous chemistry in austral spring, Geophysical Research Letters, 48 (2), 2020. Link to Article



Mattauch, L., Matthews, HD., Millar, R., Rezai, A., Solomon, S., Venmans, F., Steering the climate system: Using inertia to lower the cost of policy: Comment, American Economic Review, 110 (4) 1231-37, 2020. Link to Article



Lickley, M., Solomon, S., Fletcher, S., Velders, GJM., Daniel, J., Rigby, M., Montzka, S., Kuijpers, JM., Stone, K., Quantifying contributions of chlorofluorocarbon banks to emissions and impacts on the ozone layer and climate, Nature Communications, 11 (1) 1-11, 2020. Link to Article



Fu, Q., White, R., Wang, M., Alexander, B., Solomon, S., Gettelman, A., Battisti, D., Lin, P., The Brewer-Dobson circulation during the Last Glacial Maximum, Geophysical Research Letters, 47 (3) e2019GL086271, 2020. Link to Article



Fu, Q., White, R., Wang, M., Alexander, B., Solomon, S., Gettelman, A., Battisti, D., Lin, P., The Brewer-Dobson circulation during the Last Glacial Maximum, Geophysical Research Letters, 47 (3) e2019GL086271, 2020. Link to Article



 



2019



Stone, K.A., Solomon, S., Kinnison, D.E., Baggett, C.F., Barnes, E.A., Prediction of Northern Hemisphere regional surface temperatures using stratospheric ozone information, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 124 (12) 5922-5933, 2019. Link to Article



Lickley, M., Cael, B.B., Solomon, S., Time of Steady Climate Change, Geophysical Research Letters, 46 (10) 5445-5451, 2019. Link to Article



Abalos, M., Polvani, L., Calvo, N., Kinnison, D., Ploeger, F., Randel, W., Solomon, S., New Insights on Impact of Ozone-Depleting Substances on the Brewer-Dobson Circulation, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 124 (5) 2435-2451, 2019. Link to Article



Zambri, B., Solomon, S., Kinnison, D.E., Mills, M.J., Schmidt, A., Neely III, R.R., Bourassa, A.E., Degenstein, D.A., Roth, C.Z., Modeled and Observed Volcanic Aerosol Control on Stratospheric NOy and CLy, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2019. Link to Article



Gilford, D.M., Solomon, S., Emanuel, K., Seasonal Cycles of Along-Track Tropical Cyclone Maximum Intensity, Monthly Weather Review, 147, 2417-2432, 2019. Link to Article



Santer, B.D., Fyfe, J.C., Solomon, S., Painter, J.F., Bonfils, C., Pallotta, G., Zelinka, M.D., Quantifying stochastic uncertainty in detection time of human-caused climate signals, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116 (40), 19821-19827, 2019. Link to Article 



Stone, K.A., Solomon, S., Kinnison, D.E., Baggett, C.F., Barnes, E.A., Prediction of Northern Hemisphere regional surface temperatures using stratospheric ozone information, v. 124 (12) 5922-5933, 2019. Link to Article



Lickley, M., Cael, B.B., Solomon, S., Time of Steady Climate Change, Geophysical Research Letters, v.46 (10) 5445-5451, 2019. Link to Article



Abalos, M., Polvani, L., Calvo, N., Kinnison, D., Ploeger, F., Randel, W., Solomon, S., New Insights on Impact of Ozone-Depleting Substances on the Brewer-Dobson Circulation, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, v.124 (5) 2435-2451, 2019. Link to Article



Zambri, B., Solomon, S., Kinnison, D.E., Mills, M.J., Schmidt, A., Neely III, R.R., Bourassa, A.E., Degenstein, D.A., Roth, C.Z., Modeled and Observed Volcanic Aerosol Control on Stratospheric NOy and CLy, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2019. Link to Article



Gilford, D.M., Solomon, S., Emanuel, K., Seasonal Cycles of Along-Track Tropical Cyclone Maximum Intensity, Monthly Weather Review, v.147, 2417-2432, 2019. Link to Article





Santer, B.D., Fyfe, J.C., Solomon, S., Painter, J.F., Bonfils, C., Pallotta, G., Zelinka, M.D., Quantifying stochastic uncertainty in detection time of human-caused climate signals, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019.  Link to Article



2018



Santer, B.D., Thorne, P.W., Haimberger, L., Taylor, K.E., Wigley, T.M.L, Lanzante, J.R., Solomon, S., Free, M., Gleckler, P.J., Jones, P.D., Karl, T.R., Klein, S.A., Mears, C., Nychka, D., Schmidt, G.A., Sherwood, S.C., Wentz, F.J., Consistency of Modeled and Observed Temperature Trends in the Tropical Troposphere, Climate Modeling, 85-136, 2018. Link to Article



Bandoro, J., S. Solomon, B. D. Santer, D. E. Kinnison, and M. J. Mills, Detectability of the Impacts of Ozone Depleting Substances and Greenhouse Gases upon Stratospheric Ozone Accounting for Nonlinearities in Historical Forcings, Atm. Chem. Phys., 18 (1), 143-66, 2018. Link to Article



Stone, K. A., Solomon, S., Kinnison, D.E., On the Identification of Ozone Recovery, Geophysical Research Letters, v.45 (10) 5158-5165, 2018. Link to Article



Kaplan, M.B., Solomon, S., Response to rejoinder to: MB Kaplan, S. Solomon, A coming boom in commercial shipping? The potential for rapid growth of noise from commercial ships by 2030, Mar. Policy 73 (Supplement C) (2016) 119–121, Marine Policy, v. 93 (54), 2018. Link to Article



Santer, B.D., Po-Chedley, S., Zelinka, M.D., Cvijanovic, I., Bonfils, C., Durack, P.J., Fu, Q., Kiehl, J., Mears, C., Painter, J., Pallotta, G., Solomon, S., Wentz, F.J., Zou, C., Human influence on the seasonal cycle of tropospheric temperature, Science, v.361, (6399), 2018. Link to Article



Wilka, C., Shah, K., Stone, K., Solomon, S., Kinnison, D., Mills, M., Schmidt, A., Neely III, R.R., On the role of heterogeneous chemistry in ozone depletion and recovery, Geophysical Research Letters, v. 45 (15) 7835-7842, 2018. Link to Article



Fogt, R.L., Jones, M.E., Goergens, C.A., Solomon, S., Jones, J.M., Reply to “Comment on ‘An Exceptional Summer During the South Pole Race of 1911/12’”, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, v. 99 (10) 2143-2145, 2018. Link to Article



Lickley, M., Solomon, S., Drivers, timing and some impacts of global aridity change, Environmental Research Letters, v. 13, (10), 2018. Link to Article



Lickley, M., Solomon S., On the relative influences of different ocean basin sea surface temperature anomalies on southern African rainfall in 20th and 21st century general circulation model simulations, International Journal of Climatology, 38, 5003-5009, 2018. Link to Article

Awards
Honorary fellow, Royal Meteorological Society, UK (2017) | Arthur L. Day Prize and Lectureship, National Academy of Sciences (2017) | Honorary doctorate, University of British Columbia, November (2015) | Honorary Doctorate, Brown University (2015) | Illinois Institute of Technology Hall of Fame (2015) | Honorary Doctorate, University of British Columbia (2015) |Honorary Doctorate, Leeds University (2013) | BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Prize, BBVA Foundation (2013) | Honorary Member, American Polar Society, (2013) | Vetlesen Prize, Vetlesen Foundation (2013) | Honorary Member, American Meteorological Society (2012) | Honorary Doctorate, Smith College (2012) | Chevalier, Legion d’honneur, Republique de France (2010) | Career Achievement Award, Service to America Awards of the Partnership for Public Service (2010) | Honorary Doctorate, University of Athens (2010) | Listed by Good Housekeeping Magazine as one of the 125 women who changed the world (2010) | Honorary Doctorate, University of Paris (2010) | Member, National Women’s Hall of Fame (2009) | Volvo Environment Prize (2009) | Honorary Doctorate, Reading University, UK (2009) | Honorary Doctorate, University of Pennsylvania (2009) | Member, National Women’s Hall of Fame (2009) | Honorary Fellow, The Geological Society of London (2008) | Fellow, Royal Society of London (2008) | Fellow, American Philosophical Society (2008) | John Scott Award, John Scott Foundation Trust (2008) | Listed by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008 | Grande Medaille, Academie des Sciences de France (2008) | American Geological Institute Award for Advancing Public Understanding of the Geosciences (2008) | Distinguished Presidential Rank Award (2008) | The Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [Susan Solomon served as co-chair] and Mr. Albert Gore, Junior (2007) | Lemaitre Prize, Foundation Georges Lemaitre, Brussels, Belgium (2007) | Bowie Medal, American Geophysical Union (2007) | Lowell Thomas Award, Explorers Club, New York (2007) | Goldschmidt Award, Geochemical Society (2006) | Honorary Doctorate, Northwestern University (2006) | Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (2006) | UNEP/ WMO Vienna Convention Award for outstanding contributions to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (2005) | Honorary Fellow, International Polar Foundation (2005) | Blue Planet Laureate, Asahi Glass Foundation, Tokyo, Japan (2004) | Honorary Doctorate, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK (2004) | Honorary Doctorate, University of Miami (2003) | Distinguished Presidential Rank Award (2003) | Gold Medal, Department of Commerce, for contributions as lead author of the 3rd Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2002) | Weizmann Women and Science Award, presented at Rockefeller University (2002) | Honorary Doctorate, SUNY at Stony Brook (2001) | Honorary Doctorate, Illinois Institute of Technology (2001) | U. S. National Medal of Science (2000) | Foreign Member, Academia Europaea (2000) | Carl-Gustaf Rossby Award, American Meteorological Society (2000) | Co-Recipient, Climate Protection Award of the Environmental Protection Agency (1998) | United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Award for key contributions to the development of the Montreal Protocol (1997) | Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award of the Environmental Protection Agency (1996) | Honorary Doctorate, Williams College, Williamstown, MA (1996) | Associé Étranger (Foreign Associate), Academie des Sciénces de France (1995) | Solomon Glacier (78°23’S, 162°30’E) and Solomon Saddle (78°23’S, 162°39’E) were named in honor of leadership in Antarctic research (1994) | Honorary Doctorate, Tulane University (1994) | Arthur S. Flemming Award for excellence in government service (1994) | Honorary Doctorate, University of Colorado at Boulder (1993) | Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1993) | Scientist of the Year, R&D Magazine, Cahners Publications (1992) | Member, National Academy of Sciences (1992) | Common Wealth Award for Excellence in Science and Invention (1992) | Henry Houghton Award, American Meteorological Society (1991) | Gold Medal for exceptional service, U. S. Department of Commerce (1989) | James B. MacElwane Award, American Geophysical Union (1985) | University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Fellow (1977-1978) | Fellow, American Geophysical Union | Fellow, American Meteorological Society | Fellow Royal Meteorological Society