Articles | Volume 18, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8065-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8065-2018
Research article
 | 
08 Jun 2018
Research article |  | 08 Jun 2018

Bifurcation of potential vorticity gradients across the Southern Hemisphere stratospheric polar vortex

Jonathan Conway, Greg Bodeker, and Chris Cameron

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AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision
AR by Jonathan Conway on behalf of the Authors (27 Apr 2018)  Author's response   Manuscript 
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (14 May 2018) by Timothy J. Dunkerton
AR by Jonathan Conway on behalf of the Authors (16 May 2018)  Manuscript 
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Short summary
Strong westerly winds occur in the stratosphere during winter and spring. These winds, the polar vortex, limit how much air is mixed between mid- and high-latitudes. We present a new view of the polar vortex mixing barrier in the Southern Hemisphere, revealing a frequent double-walled barrier with two distinct regions of weak mixing. This double-walled structure is expected to alter the spatial and temporal variation of trace gas concentrations (e.g. ozone) across the polar vortex.
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