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Global Near-Inertial Wave Spectra Shaped by Mesoscale Eddies.

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Title: Global Near-Inertial Wave Spectra Shaped by Mesoscale Eddies.
Authors: Conn, Scott1 (AUTHOR) sconn@caltech.edu, Callies, Jörn1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Physical Oceanography. Mar2026, Vol. 56 Issue 3, p707-724. 18p.
Subjects: Mesoscale eddies, Internal waves, Anticyclones, Vortex motion, Theory of wave motion, Oceanography
Abstract: Wind-forced near-inertial waves (NIWs) propagate through a sea of mesoscale eddies, which can fundamentally alter their evolution. The nature of this NIW–mesoscale interaction depends on how dispersive the waves are. For weakly dispersive waves, ray tracing suggests that the NIW frequency should be shifted by (1 / 2) ζ , where ζ is the mesoscale vorticity, and that the waves are refracted into anticyclones. Strongly dispersive waves, in contrast, retain the large-scale structure of the wind forcing and exhibit a small negative frequency shift. Previous in situ observational studies have indeed revealed varying degrees of NIW–mesoscale interaction. Here, observations of NIWs from drifters are used to map the geography of NIW–mesoscale interactions globally, and idealized simulations and a simple model are used to identify the underlying physical processes. Almost everywhere in the ocean, with the notable exception of the northeast Pacific, the NIW frequency is strongly modulated by the mesoscale vorticity, with the slope of the frequency shift versus vorticity taking values of approximately 0.4. Concentration of NIW energy into anticyclones is a common feature throughout the ocean. Other aspects of the observations, however, show signatures of strongly dispersive waves: a negative frequency shift and weaker concentration into anticyclones in regions with strong eddies, as well as weak modulation of the NIW frequency by mesoscale eddies in the northeast Pacific. The signatures of both weakly and strongly dispersive NIW behavior can be rationalized by the geography of the wave dispersiveness and the fact that wind forcing excites multiple vertical modes with different wave dispersiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Physical Oceanography is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Global Near-Inertial Wave Spectra Shaped by Mesoscale Eddies.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Conn%2C+Scott%22">Conn, Scott</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> sconn@caltech.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Callies%2C+Jörn%22">Callies, Jörn</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Physical+Oceanography%22">Journal of Physical Oceanography</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 56 Issue 3, p707-724. 18p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mesoscale+eddies%22">Mesoscale eddies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Internal+waves%22">Internal waves</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anticyclones%22">Anticyclones</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Vortex+motion%22">Vortex motion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Theory+of+wave+motion%22">Theory of wave motion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Oceanography%22">Oceanography</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Wind-forced near-inertial waves (NIWs) propagate through a sea of mesoscale eddies, which can fundamentally alter their evolution. The nature of this NIW–mesoscale interaction depends on how dispersive the waves are. For weakly dispersive waves, ray tracing suggests that the NIW frequency should be shifted by (1 / 2) ζ , where ζ is the mesoscale vorticity, and that the waves are refracted into anticyclones. Strongly dispersive waves, in contrast, retain the large-scale structure of the wind forcing and exhibit a small negative frequency shift. Previous in situ observational studies have indeed revealed varying degrees of NIW–mesoscale interaction. Here, observations of NIWs from drifters are used to map the geography of NIW–mesoscale interactions globally, and idealized simulations and a simple model are used to identify the underlying physical processes. Almost everywhere in the ocean, with the notable exception of the northeast Pacific, the NIW frequency is strongly modulated by the mesoscale vorticity, with the slope of the frequency shift versus vorticity taking values of approximately 0.4. Concentration of NIW energy into anticyclones is a common feature throughout the ocean. Other aspects of the observations, however, show signatures of strongly dispersive waves: a negative frequency shift and weaker concentration into anticyclones in regions with strong eddies, as well as weak modulation of the NIW frequency by mesoscale eddies in the northeast Pacific. The signatures of both weakly and strongly dispersive NIW behavior can be rationalized by the geography of the wave dispersiveness and the fact that wind forcing excites multiple vertical modes with different wave dispersiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Physical Oceanography is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1175/JPO-D-25-0163.1
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 18
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      – SubjectFull: Mesoscale eddies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Internal waves
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anticyclones
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Vortex motion
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Theory of wave motion
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      – SubjectFull: Oceanography
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      – TitleFull: Global Near-Inertial Wave Spectra Shaped by Mesoscale Eddies.
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            NameFull: Conn, Scott
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            NameFull: Callies, Jörn
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            – D: 01
              M: 03
              Text: Mar2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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