Dear Dr. Szopa,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript entitled " Role of the stratospheric chemistry-climate interactions in the hot climate conditions of the Eocene” [Paper # cp-2018-115] to Climates of the Past. I have now received an assessment of the two reviewers as well as your comments.
The study of climate feedbacks associated with stratospheric ozone is of importance. I agree with the reviewer that this study could be of interest for this journal, but following important concerns need to addressed which may require a substantial (major) revision prior to publication.

Following major issues has been highlighted by the reviewers:
1. The used model setup, in particular the forcing boundary condition for the FOAM simulation and for the simulations in this study, should be more clearly presented. The prescribed Eocene SST from FOAM does not allow feedbacks with a coupled-ocean system. It also need to be compared to existing model intercomparison projects like Lunt et al., 2012 (Climate of the Past). In addition, it should be clearly addressed how successful FOAM is to simulate the deep past climate.
2. Seasonal mean plots are necessary to better asses interpretations related to the stratospheric response.
3. The role of change in tropospheric CH4 and N2O and their effects on stratospheric chemistry should have been discussed in more detail. It may require additional sensitivity experiments as suggested by one reviewer.
4. The revised manuscript need to consider an improved discussion about how the LMDz simulate the stratospheric circulation compared to other state-of-the-art chemistry-climate models.
5. The strong acceleration of the boreal polar night jet, which is more than two times stronger during Eocene, does not agree with previous publications and requires a more detailed discussion.

The feedback provided in the reviewer assessments of your manuscript is important and should be taken into account as you complete your revision. Please include a marked-up manuscript version showing the changes made in your revision. I encourage you to submit a suitably substantial revised version of your manuscript by June, 15, 2019.

Sincerely,
Arne Winguth
Editor