Comparison between the models MREF^* and DUST. Panel a: map of the temperature difference between the two models at a stage when the MRI active region has reached its largest extent during a burst. The black, green, and magenta contour lines represent the MRI transition, the dust sublimation front, and the τ_rad = 1 surface, respectively, where the dashed lines correspond to DUST and the solid lines to MREF^*. Panels b and c: surface density and total vertical optical depth, respectively, of both models at two different stages: the initial hydrostatic structure (blue), and the state after the initial burst, when most of the density bumps have diffused (red).