On the prolonged lifetime of the El Chichón sulfuric acid aerosol cloud

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Abstract
The observed decay of the aerosol mixing ratio following the eruption of El Chichón appears to have been 20–30% slower than that following the eruption of Fuego in 197M, even though the sulfuric acid droplets were observed to grow to considerably larger sizes after El Chichón. This suggests the possible presence of a condensation nuclei and sulfuric acid vapor source and continued growth phenomena occurring well after the El Chichón eruption. It is proposed that the source of these nuclei and the associated vapor may be derived from annual evaporation and condensation of aerosol in the high polar regions during stratospheric warming events, with subsequent spreading to lower latitudes.