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Abstract

Gravity waves (GW) transport momentum flux (MF) and energy across the lower, middle and upper atmosphere. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) is one of the measuring techniques used onboard satellites to provide vertical temperature profiles with global and permanent coverage. These retrievals may be applied in the study of GW. Most of the analysis methods provide absolute GWMF but are missing its net direction. This happens because the procedures can deduce the orientation but not the propagation sign of GW and hence the full direction of MF. We apply here a method that allows the net calculation with four close in space and time RO soundings (quartets). We use about 10,000 daily retrievals from 1 March 2022 to 28 February 2023 to study the seasonal and latitudinal characteristics of net GWMF in the height interval from 20 to 35 km. About 600 quartets were found. The calculated zonal MF and drag exhibited negative minima at middle and high latitudes during winter in the Southern Hemisphere. This well-known characteristic is usually mainly assigned to orographic sources. A similar intensity in zonal MF and drag is found during the same season at low latitudes. Meridional components are generally less significant. Besides finding the correct sign of the GWMF and the corresponding forcing on the mean flow, the quartets method also allows the determination of the horizontal and vertical wavelengths, the amplitude and sign of the vertical wave phase velocity and the intrinsic frequencies. The global statistics of these parameters are shown and each one exhibits a similar distribution shape across latitude bands. Large differences in the frequency of cases in vertical phase velocity sign appear only at low and high positive latitudes. The most even distribution of GW intrinsic frequency is found at low latitudes. We estimate that absolute MF calculations by methods assuming only upward GW propagation may produce a bias not larger than 40%. The increase of satellite measuring devices achieved in the last years due to the release of new missions led to a high spatial and temporal density of profiles that may allow the attainment of net GWMF climatologies over a seasonal time scale and about 4,000 km latitude bands but this performance may be even improved if the amount of retrievals continues to rise.