Advective spreading of storm-induced inertial oscillations in a model of the northwest Atlantic Ocean

The spreading of inertial oscillations induced by the passage of Hurricane Juan (2003) across the Gulf Stream and the Scotian Shelf is examined using a regional model of the northwest Atlantic Ocean. It is found that surface-intensified inertial oscillations develop at locations remote from the storm track after a period of 5–10 days. A diagnostic technique reveals the importance of advection by the background geostrophic flow for explaining this effect. The results suggest that advection by mean circulation can play a role in redistributing near-inertial energy in the ocean. We argue that advective redistribution could have important consequences for understanding diapycnal mixing in the ocean.