Surface mixed layer deepening through wind shear alignment in a seasonally stratified shallow sea

Inertial oscillations are a ubiquitous feature of the surface ocean. Here we combine new observations with a numerical model to investigate the role of inertial oscillations in driving deepening of the surface mixed layer in a seasonally stratified sea. Observations of temperature and current structure, from a mooring in the Western Irish Sea, reveal episodes of strong currents (>0.3 m s(-1)) lasting several days, resulting in enhanced shear across the thermocline. While the episodes of strong currents are coincident with windy periods, the variance in the shear is not directly related to the wind stress. The shear varies on a subinertial time scale with the formation of shear maxima lasting several hours occurring at the local inertial period of 14.85 h. These shear maxima coincide with the orientation of the surface current being at an angle of approximately 90 degrees to the right of the wind direction. Observations of the water column structure during windy periods reveal deepening of the surface mixed layer in a series of steps which coincide with a period of enhanced shear. During the periods of enhanced shear gradient, Richardson number estimates indicate Ri(-1) >= 4 at the base of the surface mixed layer, implying the deepening as a result of shear instability. A one-dimensional vertical exchange model successfully reproduces the magnitude and phase of the shear spikes as well as the step-like deepening. The observations and model results therefore identify the role of wind shear alignment as a key entrainment mechanism driving surface mixed layer deepening in a shallow, seasonally stratified sea.