The trapping and detrapping of short internal waves by an inertia wave

The refraction of a spectrum of short internal waves by a packet of inertia waves is considered. It is found that a short inertia-wave packet produces a larger net change in a spectrum of short waves than a long inertia-wave packet, provided the short waves are trapped at some time during the interaction. Specifically, an incident narrow-banded short-wave spectrum broadens more quickly and more fully when refracted by the short inertia-wave packet. The results are explained in terms of a frequency conservation law, which constrains short-wave change in the limit of a long inertia-wave packet.