Direct in-situ measurements of aerosol light absorption before, during and after the eruption of Mt. St. Helens and El Chichon reveal the presence of light absorbing species at all times. Large enhancements which appear to drop rapidly with time are found at certain locations immediately following volcanic events. Although a general patchiness is present in the aerosol and its associated absorption coefficient, post eruption values appear to remain elevated in the mean when compared to early 1979 data prior to the El Chichon eruption. From the data collected for this period, lower bounds for the single scatter albedo are presented along with implications for associated radiative effects.