Global mapping of diapycnal mixing rates in the deep ocean for accurate modeling of the oceanic general circulation

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By using three-dimensional numerical models, the distribution of internal wave energy for diapycnalmixing in the deep waters of the North Pacific has been examined. During winter, energetic near-inertial waves are excited in response to the midlatitude storms in the western-central North Pacific (30ﾟN-45ﾟN). Thus excited waves propagate southward down to 10ﾟN-15ﾟN where the frequencies become double the local inertial frequencies so that large amount of wave energy cascades down to dissipation scales via Parametric Subharmonic Instability mechanism. The low-vertical-wavenumber double-inertial frequency internal waves are, in contrast, very weak at the times and locations of the previous microscale measurements so that the observed diapycnal diffusivity of-0.1 cm^2s^<-1> might not be representative.