Latitudinal Distribution of Mixing Rate Caused by the M2 Internal Tide

Abstract

Ten years of Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon tidal data and an energy balance relation are used to estimate the mixing rate caused by M2 internal tides in the upper ocean. The results indicate that latitudinal distribution of the mixing rate has a generally symmetrical structure with respect to the equator. The maxima are distributed around 28.9°N and 28.9°S and can be as high as 3.8 ? 10?5 m2 s?1 in the Pacific, 5 ? 10?5 m2 s?1 in the Atlantic, and 3.7 ? 10?5 m2 s?1 in the Indian Oceans. The minimum, which is only 10% of those at 28.9°, is located near the equator. The data imply that midlatitudes are the key regions for internal tide mixing.