Turbulence mixing due to gravity wave saturation may both induce dynamical cooling and produce dissipative heating. The net effect is studied here using the linear saturation theory by considering the wave heat flux divergence, turbulence dissipative heating, and turbulent diffusion. From the total heating rate it is shown that the net effect is critically dependent on the turbulence Prandtl number as well as on the localization of the turbulence region. The results from the linear analysis are consistent with previous observational and numerical results. ¿ 2000 American Geophysical Union