The lifecycle of surface-generated near-inertial waves

Our current knowledge of the lifecycle of the most energetic surface-generated internal waves in the ocean, wind-driven near-inertial waves (NIWs), is reviewed. The review covers the three stages in a NIW's lifecycle: formation as near-inertial motions in the mixed layer by the winds, propagation into the ocean interior as a NIW, and demise through turbulent dissipation and mixing, wave-wave interactions, and/or absorption into mean flows. A main goal of the review is to provide an update of our understanding of the processes that influence the wind-work on near-inertial motions, and those that govern the interactions of NIWs with mesoscale eddies and fronts. The impacts of NIWs on ocean mixing, both in the vertical and horizontal, are discussed.