After earning her doctorate from University of California at Berkeley in 1977, Soloman joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). There she began researching what was causing the depletion of ozone in the stratosphere above Antarctica. In 1986 she led an expedition to Antarctica where her team gathered evidence that confirmed the theory that chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, were responsible for the destruction of the ozone layer. Her work formed the basis of the U.N. Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to protect the ozone layer by regulating damaging chemicals. In 1994, Solomon was awarded the 1999 National Medal of Science in chemistry for this research.
Learn more at the National Women’s Hall of Fame.