We have used first-principles molecular dynamics to study the solvation shell of nitrate obtained by dissolving nitric acid and ammonium nitrate in an aqueous solution and at the air-ice interface. Additionally, we assessed the effect of different solvation environments on the UV-Visible absorption spectra, in particular for energies corresponding to the solar photon flux on Earth. These calculations indicate that the lowest-energy absorption band at ∼ 305 nm does not undergo any significant solvatochromic shift when nitrate is deposited on ice rather than solvated in water, and the intensity of the absorption band is unchanged.