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In Memory of Gérard Mégie 1946-2004

Gérard Mégie died at the age of 58, following an extended illness which did not prevent him from assuming his duties as Chairman of CNRS until the last minute. He left a feeling of emptiness in the numerous national, European and international organisations where he was active.

Gérard Mégie was well known in the SPARC community. The bulk of his research dealt with the development of original methods for measuring atmospheric variables by lidar, and the modelling of the natural variability of ozone and how it is influenced by human activities. He participated in the implementation of many different means for observing the atmosphere from the ground and from other platforms (airplane, balloon, satellite) and played a leading role in setting up the Network for Detection of Stratospheric Changes (NDSC).

Besides his increasing responsibilities in the national research community, he chaired the International Ozone Committee of the International Council for Science (ICSU) from 1988 to 1996, the Earth Observation Committee of the European Space Agency (ESA) from 1994 to 1999, and the Stratosphere Scientific Committee of the European Commission (1989-2004). He co-chaired the International Scientific Committee of the Montreal Protocol for the protection of the ozone layer and the WMO-UNEP Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion. He became a member of the European Research Advisory Board (EURAB) of the European Commission in 2001, and a member of the European Research Council Expert Group (ERCEG) of the European Union in 2003.

Gérard Mégie was the author of more than 240 scientific publications and two books on stratospheric ozone: 'Stratosphere et Couche d'Ozone' (Editions Masson) in 1991 and 'Ozone, l'Equilibre Rompu' (Presses du CNRS) in 1989. He was also the scientific coordinator of two reports of the French Academy of Sciences: 'Ozone et Proprietes Oxydantes de la Troposphere' (1993), and 'Ozone Stratosphrerique' (1998) published by Editions Lavoisier.

Gérard Mégie was an internationally recognized scientist as well as a highly cultivated person, a humanist and a teacher, appreciated by everyone for his open-mindedness, his intellectual discipline and his keen analytical ability. We miss him greatly.

Marie-Lise Chanin