Orlanski, I., 1971: Energy spectrum of small-scale internal gravity waves. Journal of Geophysical Research, 76 (24), 5829-5835.

Abstract: The breaking of internal gravity waves is the source that generates turbulence in the atmosphere and the ocean (CAT and DOT). Thus the internal gravity waves reach a limiting amplitude. Evidence of saturation from two spectra taken at different locations and the assumption that the breaking of these waves is due to the generation of local unstable stratification permit us to derive an expression of the energy spectrum that explains fairly well the shape of the observed spectrum.