Stratospheric aerosol at 34°S following the El Chichon and Galunggung eruptions

A pronounced increase in stratospheric aerosol particle concentrations was observed from late 1982 through to 1984 at 34° S. Collected particles were predominantly sulfuric acid which was believed to have had its origins in the gaseous emissions of the 1982 eruptions of El Chichon in Mexico and possibly a contribution from Galunggung in Indonesia. Growth of particle size was evident well into 1983. The stratospheric layer of enhanced particle concentrations at 34° S consisted of two sections, an upper more stable layer between altitudes of about 16 and 28 km and a much more variable lower layer between the tropopause and about 15 km.