9416102 Lelong The small-scale signal in the ocean is made up of internal gravity waves and three-dimensional turbulence. There is however, increasing evidence that another type of motion, which can account for the potential vorticity at this scales, is also present. The role of the small-scale potential vorticity component (also called "vortical") remain unclear. The objective of the present study is to assess the role of the vortical mode and its relative importance to the small scale dynamics. Numerical simulations will be performed to help observationalists to identify the different signatures expected of the vortical and wave components.
