Susan Solomon, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aeronomy Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., has received the highest award given by the American Meteorological Society, the Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal. It was presented to her at the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society in Long Beach, Calif.

The award is presented to individuals on the basis of outstanding contributions to the understanding of the structure or behavior of the atmosphere. It represents the highest honor that the Society can bestow upon an atmospheric scientist. The award honors Solomon "for fundamental contributions to understanding the chemistry of the stratosphere and unraveling the mystery of the Antarctic ozone hole."

Solomon, an atmospheric chemist, is best known as the leader of the National Ozone Expeditions to the Antarctic in 1986 and 1987, which pointed towards manmade chlorine as the cause of the ozone hole. In 1994, an Antarctic glacier was named in her honor in recognition of that work.

Solomon received her Ph.D degree in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1981. She is the recipient of many other honors and awards, including the J.B. MacElwane award of the American Geophysical Union, the Department of Commerce Gold Medal for Exceptional Service, and the ozone award from the United Nations Environment Programme. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a foreign associate of the French Academy of Sciences, and a foreign member of the Academia Europaea.

She has been a research scientist at NOAA's Aeronomy Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., since 1981.