Turbulent mixing is a crucial process in ocean dynamics, impacting both stratification and circulation. One significant aspect of this mixing is the internal tide-driven mixing that occurs at rough topography. Our research focuses on understanding the energy pathways of the barotropic M2 tide as it interacts with a gently sloping, rough seafloor. The sloping seafloor promotes restratification, which balances with fluid homogenization due to tidal-driven mixing, allowing a non-transient flow development. A large eddy simulation is used with realistic topography based on the Brazil Basin in the South Atlantic Ocean. The energy of the internal tide is transferred to smaller-scale internal waves, which radiate into the interior of the ocean. Eventually, these internal waves break down into patches of turbulence, driven by either shear instability or convective instability. The resulting mixing near the topography generates an upslope mean flow in the bottom boundary layer and a downslope flow above, which would potentially affect the deep ocean circulation.
