Susie P. Gonzalez

210-999-8406

susie.gonzalez@trinity.edu

SCIENTIST TO SHARE INSIGHTS ON CAUSES OF OZONE DEPLETION

March 6, 2002 — If you want to know how to get a glacier in Antarctica named in your honor, just ask Susan Solomon, a leading atmospheric scientist who has won several prestigious scientific awards. If you also want to know why a hole in the ozone formed in Antarctica, Dr. Solomon, an atmospheric chemist and senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colo., can answer that, too. She will share details of her current research on ozone depletion as well as the work of her predecessors as part of the Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series at Trinity University. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 8, in Laurie Auditorium. In the 1980s, scientists discovered increasing ozone depletion along with a link to the presence of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) in the atmosphere. In a baffling twist, the ozone hole was forming in Antarctica, quite a distance from people who might be using substances containing CFCs that erode the earth's protective ozone layer. In 1986 and 1987, Dr. Solomon led an expedition to Antarctica to unravel the mystery. The work conditions at McMurdo Base in Antarctica were treacherous: bitter cold temperatures and nearly 24 hours of darkness. At one point, Dr. Solomon's right eyelid froze shut while she was collecting data outdoors. The expedition shed light on the climactic events on the continent and has allowed scientists to find more effective solutions to the phenomenon. For her work, Dr. Solomon has been honored with the U.S. National Medal of Science, the nation's highest science award, for “key insights in explaining the cause of the Antarctic ozone hole.” In addition, a glacier in Antarctica is named in her honor. She also has received awards from the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, the Department of Commerce, and the United Nations Environment Programme. She has written a book, The Coldest March, which tells the story of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his British team of explorers who perished in 1912 while in the Antarctic. She drew upon her personal knowledge of the region to conclude that they were struck down by exceptionally frigid weather conditions that were unusual even for Antarctica. Dr. Solomon received a B.S. in chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Doors to Laurie Auditorium will open at 7 p.m. on the day of the lecture. The lecture series is made possible by an endowment gift from Mr. and Mrs. Walter F. Brown of San Antonio. Mr. Brown is a Trinity University Trustee. For more information, contact Trinity’s department of academic affairs at  (210) 999-8201.

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Last updated on April 5, 2002 by the Office of Public Relations