Modified HNO3 seasonality in volcanic layers of a polar ice core - Snow-pack effect or photochemical perturbation?

Changes in atmospheric HNO3 chemistry following the Laki (1783), Tambora (1815), and Katmai (1912) volcanic eruptions are presently investigated in view of a central Greenland ice core's chemical composition. Attention is given to the concentration of several cations and anions, using ion chromatography. Following the eruptions, the ratio of winter to summer depositions of NO3(-) was significantly higher than during nonvolcanic periods. While this may be due to ice pack effects, it is proposed that large concentrations of the stratospheric H2SO4 particles ejected by the volcanoes favored HNO3 removal during Arctic winter.