Observations of enhanced internal waves in an area of strong mesoscale variability in the southwestern East Sea (Japan Sea)

Abstract

Oceanic internal waves near the local inertial frequency or near-inertial internal waves and internal waves of tidal origin or internal tides are two types of low-frequency internal waves. Their interactions, interaction with background field, and resulting internal waves at higher frequencies beyond the near-inertial and tidal frequencies have rarely been reported despite its importance on ocean mixing and circulation of energy and materials. Here, we present five episodic enhancements of the high-frequency or continuum frequency waves (CFWs) observed in the southwestern East Sea (Japan Sea) and discuss causes for the enhanced CFWs in relation to near-inertial waves (NIWs), semidiurnal internal tides (SDITs), mesoscale flow fields, and their interactions. The NIWs were amplified due to local surface wind forcing, significantly interacting with mesoscale strain via wave capture. The SDITs were generated in a remote place and propagated into the observational site, largely depending on the mesoscale fields. The observational results suggest that the five episodes of CFWs are results of enhanced NIWs or SDITs, or their wave-wave interaction, rather than locally generated lee-waves. Our study suggests the significant impact of mesoscale circulation on the variability of internal waves from near-inertial to buoyancy frequencies through multiple pathways.