  Lee waves generated by stratified flow over rough bottom topography in the
ocean extract momentum and energy from the geostrophic flow, causing drag and
enhancing turbulence and mixing in the interior ocean when they break. Inviscid
linear theory is generally used to predict the generation rate of lee waves,
but the location and mechanism of wave breaking leading to eventual dissipation
of energy and irreversible mixing are poorly constrained. In this study, a
linear model with viscosity, diffusivity, and an upper boundary is used to
demonstrate the potential importance of the surface in reflecting lee wave
energy back into the interior, making the case for treating lee waves as a full
water column process. In the absence of critical levels, it is shown that lee
waves can be expected to interact with the upper ocean, resulting in enhanced
vertical velocities and dissipation and mixing near the surface. The impact of
the typical oceanic conditions of increasing background velocity and
stratification with height above bottom are investigated and shown to
contribute to enhanced upper ocean vertical velocities and mixing.
