Lee wave generation rates in the deep ocean

Using the world's largest data set of in situ ocean current measurements, combined with a high-resolution topography roughness data set, we use a model-assisted hierarchical clustering methodology to estimate the global lee wave generation rate at the ocean floor. Our analysis suggests that internal wave generation contributes 0.750.19 TW (2 standard deviation) to the oceanic energy budget but with a strong dependence on the Brunt-Vaisala (buoyancy) frequency climatology used. This estimate is higher than previous calculations and suggests that internal wave generation may be a much more significant contributor to the global oceanic mechanical energy budget than had previously been assumed. Our results imply that lee wave generation and propagation may be a dominant sink of at least half and potentially the overwhelming majority of ocean surface wind work on the geostrophic circulation.