The awards were presented April 25 in Wilmington, Del. Other winners were Ted Turner, Cable News Network founder; novelist James A. Michener; retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren E. Burger; and playwright Arthur Miller. Each winner received $25,000.
During an expedition to Antarctica to observe reactions on the surfaces of polar stratospheric clouds, Solomon made the first observation that clearly linked chlorofluorocar-bons (CFCs) to depletion of the atmospheric ozone layer (Journal of Geophysical Research, 92:8329-38, 1987). "There had been theoretical papers [predicting the effects of CFCs], but no observational data" before her expedition, she says.
Following the 1982 eruption of the El Chichon volcano in Mexico, Solomon theorized that major volcanic eruptions also cause ozone loss (J. Geophys. Res., 94:5029-41, 1989). Her theory is being tested through current observation of the effects of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines.
Solomon, 36, says she believes that current efforts to ...
