On the Nature of Near-Inertial Oscillations in the Uppermost Part of the Ocean and a Possible Route toward HF Radar Probing of Stratification

Inertial band response of the upper ocean to changing wind is studied both theoretically and by analysis of observations in the northwestern Mediterranean. On the nontraditional f plane, because of the horizontal component of the earth’s rotation for waves of inertial band with frequencies slightly below the local inertial frequency f, there is a waveguide in the mixed layer confined from below by the pycnocline. It is argued that when the stratification is shallow these waves are most easily and strongly excited by varying winds as near-inertial oscillations (NIOs). These motions have been overlooked in previous studies because they are absent under the traditional approximation. The observations that employed buoys with thermistors, ADCPs, and two 16.3-MHz Wellen Radar (WERA) HF radars were carried out in the Gulf of Lion in April–June 2006. The observations support the theoretical picture: a pronounced inertial band response occurs only in the presence of shallow stratification and is confined to the mixed layer, and the NIO penetration below the stratified layer is weak. NIO surface magnitude and vertical localization are strongly affected by the presence of even weak density stratification in the upper 10 m. The NIO surface signatures are easily captured by HF radars. Continuous 1.8-yr HF observations near the Porquerolles Island confirm that shallow stratification is indeed the precondition for a strong NIO response. The response sensitivity to stratification provides a foundation for developing HF radar probing of stratification and, indirectly, vertical mixing, including spotting dramatic mixing events and spikes of vertical heat, mass, and momentum exchange.