The spontaneous generation of near-inertial waves (NIWs) from quasi-geostrophic mesoscale eddies in a stratified fluid is investigated and the process and mechanism clarified by numerical modeling and a theoretical analysis. Mesoscale eddies, as slow balance flows, are inevitably accompanied by unbalanced near-inertial oscillations (NIOs) in their long period evolution. A mesoscale eddy supplies kinetic energy to NIOs through its interaction with perturbations, which exist universally in the world oceans. Afterward, NIWs are generated spontaneously via the nonlinear coupling of the eddy and NIOs. The baroclinicity of mesoscale eddies is an essential condition of this spontaneous NIW generation mechanism. The resonance of the NIWs and NIOs enables the internal wave continuum to be dominated by NIWs, which share the same horizontal wavenumbers with the eddy. After generation, the NIWs radiate energy toward the eddy center and remain stationary as a whole, relative to the propagating eddy. Generally, an anticyclonic mesoscale eddy can emit much stronger NIWs than does a cyclonic eddy. The NIW intensity strengthens exponentially with the Rossby number. The essence of this spontaneous NIW generation mechanism is the nonlinear interaction between slow balance flows and the accompanying fast motions. It represents an effective pathway for mesoscale eddy energy sinks and makes a non-negligible contribution to the global NIW energy.

Typhoons, extratropical cyclones, and cold fronts cause strong winds leading to storm surges and waves in the Bohai Sea. A wave–flow coupled numerical model is established for storm events observed in 2022 caused by three weather systems, to investigate how storm waves are modulated by wave–tide–surge interaction (WTSI). Wave response is basically controlled by water level change in coastal areas, where bottom friction or breaking dominates the energy dissipation, and determined by the current field in deep water by altering whitecapping. Wave height increases/decreases are induced by positive/negative water level or obtuse/acute wave–current interaction angle, leading to six types of field patterns for significant wave height (Hs) responses. For the three storm events, Hs basically changed within ±5% in central deep water, while the maximum increase/decrease reached 160%/−60% in the coastal area of Laizhou Bay/Liaodong Bay. Based on maximum Hs and its occurrence time, WTSI modulation is manifested as the superposition effect of wave–tide and wave–surge interactions in both space and time scales, and occurrence time depends more on tide than surge for all three storms. The enhancement/abatement of WTSI modulation happens for consistent/opposite changing trends of wave–tide and wave–surge interaction, with the ultimate result showing the side with a higher effect.

The energy transformation between inertial oscillations (IOs), near-inertial waves (NIWs), and mesoscale eddies during spontaneous NIW generation is analyzed by the kinetic energy equations of the multiple temporal–spatial scale interaction between slow and fast motions and then quantitatively estimated by numerical simulations. The evolution of perturbed quasi-geostrophic mesoscale eddies is accompanied by IOs. The nonlinear interaction of IOs and mesoscale eddies results in spontaneous energy transfer from mesoscale eddies to NIWs. However, IOs act as catalysts in the spontaneous NIW energy transformation process, because there is no energy transfer between NIWs and IOs for longer than one inertial period and NIW energy is entirely transferred from mesoscale eddies. The energy conversion rate (ECR) from a propagating eddy to NIWs is significantly enhanced by the resonance of NIWs and the nonlinear coupling of IOs and mesoscale eddies during the spontaneous NIW generation. The time-averaged NIW ECR from a propagating an anti-cyclonic mesoscale eddy (AE) is approximately 5.725 × 10−6 Wm−2 and nearly 16 times higher than those from the standing AE. The magnitude of global near-inertial kinetic energy generated spontaneously from mesoscale eddies is approximately on the order of 2 GW. Therefore, the spontaneous adjustment of mesoscale eddies is a non-negligible NIW generation mechanism and plays a crucial role in the process of supplying energy from mesoscale eddies to the diapycnal mixing in the ocean interior.

The mass transport capacity of mesoscale eddies over their long-period evolution is investigated by a series of passive tracer simulations within a numerical model. The eddy nonlinearity causes fluid parcels to be trapped within the closed potential vorticity contours, which then migrate with the eddy. The mass transport capacity of a mesoscale eddy decayed during the spontaneous generation of near-inertial waves (NIWs) and its interaction with seafloor topography. During the spontaneous NIW generation, the mass transport capacity declines due to the reduction in eddy rotational speed. The interaction between a mesoscale eddy and topography involves multiple mechanisms, resulting in a substantial decrease in the eddy radius and consequently impeding its mass transport capacity. When a mesoscale eddy encounters the topography, lee waves and submesoscale filaments are generated, and the eddy radius decreases, modulating the relative vorticity to balance the ambient vorticity variations induced by the topography. The greater the topography gradient, the more rapidly the mass transport of a mesoscale eddy decays. The leakage of mass transported by a cyclonic eddy due to the interaction between the eddy and topography is greater than that in the interaction between an anticyclonic eddy and topography. The average relative mass transport rates for both anticyclonic and cyclonic mesoscale eddies exhibit linear relationships with the topography within the range of 500–1000 m. When mesoscale eddies interact with the topography above 1100 m, baroclinic instability occurs, causing a significant fraction of the trapped fluid parcels to escape from the eddies.