Through analytical and numerical study we demonstrate that advection by baroclinic instability and the geostrophic eddies it spawns has a dominant role in the restratification of deep convection sites. We find that the time-scale on which full restratification occurs is a simple function of the chimney lateral and vertical extent and of the ambient stratification surrounding the chimney. The rapid near surface restratification observed in the Gulf of Lions is consistent with heightened near surface stratification: The baroclinic instability process which triggers eddies that can break apart a deep convection chimney is fed by the ambient stratification becoming more vigorous as that stratification increases.
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