Susan Solomon wins the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award for establishing the links between atmosphere, climate and human activity

MADRID, Jan. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change category goes in this fifth edition to U.S. scientist Susan Solomon for her work on determining how human action alters the composition of the atmosphere and how these changes, in turn, affect the Earth's climate. The jury's citation states that Solomon "has contributed, through her research and leadership, to the safeguarding of our planet."

Solomon's work over 30 years has succeeded in establishing and drawing together links between three key climate change variables: human activity; a profound and comprehensive understanding of the behavior of atmospheric gases; and the alteration of climate patterns globally.

Susan Solomon is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). For the jury, "her early research, fundamental to the understanding of stratospheric chemistry, led to the strengthening of the Montreal Protocol to curb the use of ozone-destroying substances." In recent years, the citation adds, "her contributions and leadership within the IPCC and other forums is a role model of science for the public good."

In the words of jury chairman Bjorn Stevens: "Her research has really shown how basic science can shape policy decisions and social actions. She is not an activist; she is very much a basic scientist, but she has this knack of picking up topics and developing new understanding which then influences the public debate. Probably there is no other scientist in the field whose results have had such a big impact on one of the key social questions of our time."