Introduction:

The Arctic is a remarkable natural laboratory for studying the thermodynamics of the Earth's Atmosphere. Understanding how air moves and is moved in this cold environment is very important for predictions of both weather and climate.

The purpose of this page is to qualitatively explain, at a level suitable for non-science major first year students, how gravity waves in the atmosphere can interact with the mean winds of the polar night-time vortex.  Further, I will explain under what conditions this interaction leads to a warmer stratosphere.