Tribute to Pr. Paul J. Crutzen

Professor Paul J. Crutzen passed away on January 28, 2021 at the age of 87. He played a very important role, alongside Claude Boutron, in the start of the European Research Course on Atmospheres winter school, created in 1993 in Grenoble, and still coordinated at the IGE. He taught there with great fidelity between 1993 and 2012 and promoted it in Germany. He has also established contacts with the International Centre for Theoretical Physics allowing the financing of the participation of 5 young scientists from developing countries in each ERCA session.

Paul Crutzen’s simplicity and humor made him easily accessible to young scientists. Many of us have been trained in atmospheric chemistry through his lectures and his remarkably pedagogical works. In particular, he wrote a chapter in the first educational book published by ERCA entitled "An overview of atmospheric chemistry".

In 1996, shortly after being awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Mario J. Molina and F. Sherwood Rowland for their discovery of the chemical processes explaining the ozone hole, Paul Crutzen gave a remarkable public lecture on this subject at the Amphi Weil of the UGA and received the Gold Medal of the City of Grenoble. In his approach to atmospheric chemistry and climate, he has also worked hard to alarm society about the impact of human activities on the environment and popularized the term "anthropocene". In 2005, the Joseph Fourier University of Grenoble (now Grenoble Alpes University) awarded him the title of Doctor Honoris Causa.

His scientific curiosity led him to collaborate in the research of our laboratory for several years, for example on meteorite soot in the ice of Greenland (P. Gabrielli et al. Nature, 432, 1011-1014, 2004).

The members of the IGE, the organizers and participants of ERCA who knew him are deeply saddened by his passing and send their sincere condolences to his family and friends.

More information on his exceptional scientific career and an electronic book of condolences are available at https://www.mpic.de/4677594/trauer-um-paul-crutzen.

Authors : P. Martinerie, C. Boutron, D. Raynaud - 01/02/2021

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