The rate of work against the buoyancy forces due to vertical mixing (W) has been determined from repeated measurements of vertical density profiles in a large number of fjordic sill basins (basins dammed by sills). It is found that there is a weak “background” rate of work W0, probably driven by the local wind. Superposed upon this is work driven by the tide. Thus W = W0 + RfE, where E is the mean energy flux from the surface tide to turbulence in the sill basin and Rf is an efficiency factor. We distinguish between “wave basins” and “jet basins.” In the former category progressive internal tides are generated in the mouths, while in the latter there are tidal jets at the mouths. For wave basins, about 5.6% of the energy flux E from the surface tide is used for work against the buoyancy forces in the basin water (i.e., Rf ≈ 0.056). The corresponding figure for jet basins appears to be less than 1%. We have also studied the dependence of the vertical diffusivity κ upon the vertical stratification ... Abstract The rate of work against the buoyancy forces due to vertical mixing (W) has been determined from repeated measurements of vertical density profiles in a large number of fjordic sill basins (basins dammed by sills). It is found that there is a weak “background” rate of work W0, probably driven by the local wind. Superposed upon this is work driven by the tide. Thus W = W0 + RfE, where E is the mean energy flux from the surface tide to turbulence in the sill basin and Rf is an efficiency factor. We distinguish between “wave basins” and “jet basins.” In the former category progressive internal tides are generated in the mouths, while in the latter there are tidal jets at the mouths. For wave basins, about 5.6% of the energy flux E from the surface tide is used for work against the buoyancy forces in the basin water (i.e., Rf ≈ 0.056). The corresponding figure for jet basins appears to be less than 1%. We have also studied the dependence of the vertical diffusivity κ upon the vertical stratification ...