The closure of the ocean’s kinetic energy (KE) budget remains an outstanding puzzle in modern oceanography. The energy dissipation is believed to occur primarily in the oceanic bottom boundary layer (BBL) where bottom drag converts the KE from mean flows to heat loss through irreversible mixing. However, large discrepancies still exist in various previous estimates. In this talk, I will present an “anatomy” of the structures associated with balanced oceanic flows over sloping topography and discuss how the coupling between stratification and topographic slopes modifies the bottom stress. In the second part of the talk, I will take you even closer to the ocean bottom by re-examining G.I. Taylor’s celebrated bulk formula for estimating the BBL integrated dissipation rate and further provide theoretical predictions on its performance in the real ocean. The results will help inform a better understanding of the BBL dynamics as well as the closure of the KE budget in the ocean.