The Generation and Propagation of Wind- and Tide-Induced Near-Inertial Waves in the Ocean

Abstract

Near-inertial waves (NIWs), a special form of internal waves with a frequency close to the local Coriolis frequency, are ubiquitous in the ocean. NIWs play a crucial role in ocean mixing, influencing energy transport, climate change, and biogeochemistry. This manuscript briefly reviews the generation and propagation of NIWS in the oceans. NIWs are primarily generated at the surface by wind forcing or through the water column by nonlinear wave-wave interaction. Especially at critical latitudes where the tidal frequency is equal to twice the local inertial frequency, NIWs can be generated by a specific subclass of triadic resonance, parametric subharmonic instability (PSI). There are also other mechanisms, including lee wave and spontaneous generation. NIWs can propagate horizontally for hundreds of kilometers from their generating region and radiate energy far away from their origin. NIWs also penetrate deep into the ocean, affecting nutrient and oxygen redistribution through altering mixing. NIW propagation is influenced by factors such as mesoscale eddies, background flow, and topography. This review also discussed some recent observational evidence of interactions between NIWs from different origins, suggesting a complicated nonlinear interaction and energy cascading. Despite the long research history, there are still many areas of NIWs that are not well defined.