Generation of internal waves in the deep ocean by tides

TLDR

The study directly computes tidal generation of internal waves across the global ocean. The authors use linear wave theory with high‑resolution bottom topography to map the spatial distribution of tidal energy flux to internal waves at kilometer‑scale resolution. The calculation yields a total flux of 1.2 TW in waters deeper than 500 m, with main uncertainties from unresolved topography and nonlinear supercritical slope effects.

Abstract

A direct computation of the tidal generation of internal waves over the global ocean is presented. It is based on linear wave theory and high‐resolution data for the bottom topography. The geographical distribution of the energy flux from tides to internal waves is determined with a spatial resolution of a few kilometers. The total flux over the area with a depth greater than 500 m is found to be 1.2 TW. The greatest uncertainties of the computation are due to unresolved topography and to nonlinear effects caused by supercritical bottom slope.