Near-Inertial Waves on the Continental Shelf: Physics Based on Observations off the West Florida.

Oscillations and waves of near-inertial frequency on the West Florida continental shelf in the eastern Gulf of Mexico are thought to be seasonally important for mixing the shelf waters because of their tendency to have large vertical shear and to be quite energetic. Such motions are also thought to seasonally affect the ecology of the region via daily vertical thermocline migration. The unique multiyear observations off the West Florida coast allow the understanding of physics underlying the processes. The presentation will discuss the key findings on near-inertial motions in the region, including observed energetics, spatial and temporal variability, and mechanisms of generation and dissipation. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship under Grant OCE-1421180 (E. V. Maksimova).