Generation of internal waves in the deep ocean by tides

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.