THE INERTIAL CHIMNEY - THE NEAR-INERTIAL ENERGY DRAINAGE FROM THE OCEAN SURFACE TO THE DEEP LAYER

A three-dimensional primitive equation numerical model is used to stud y the behavior of near-inertial waves generated by surface wind stress on an f plane, The model is fixed depth with a rigid lid on the surfa ce and is horizontally periodic. This study shows the behaviors of the wind-generated near-inertial waves for four different eddies: (1) a s ubtropical cold-core eddy, (2) a subtropical warm-core eddy, (3) a Cal ifornia subsurface warm-core eddy, and (4) the Gulf Stream warm-core r ing. The mean secondary circulation generated by the wind-eddy interac tion has magnitude to comparable to that of the Ekman current, and its characteristics are determined by the relative angle between wind and current. The propagation characteristics of near-inertial waves are q uite different depending upon the sign of the relative vorticity. In a cyclonic eddy, near-inertial wave propagation is outward from the cor e of the eddy. The propagation direction in an anticyclonic eddy is do wnward and toward the core. Vertically propagating waves inside the ed dy are trapped above a critical layer and slowly dissipated by paramet erized viscous effects. The model shows that anticyclones efficiently drain near-inertial energy from the surface to the deep layer below th e thermocline.