A New Method for Retrieving Momentum Flux Magnitude from Multiple Gravity Wave Signals Using GNSS Radio Occultation Profile Triples

Abstract. Gravity wave (GW) momentum flux (MF) is a key parameter characterizing GW energy transport in the atmosphere, but extracting GW MF from satellite observations remains challenging. Here, we propose a new method for retrieving GW MF magnitude using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) temperature profile triples. Unlike the traditional profile-triple-based method, which only considers the dominant vertical wavelength of the largest-amplitude wave signal, the new method takes into account a set of significant vertical wavelengths determined by an empirical threshold. This threshold is optimized to balance the completeness of MF information and the reliability of GW signals. Experiments are conducted using COSMIC-2 RO dry temperature data. Qualified triples are classified into Type A (triples meeting the criteria of both the new and the traditional methods) and Type B (triples meeting only the new method’s criteria). At most latitudes between 40° S and 40° N, the zonal-mean total MF from Type B triples exceeds that from Type A, with a pronounced peak at around 20° N. The contribution of primary wave signals to the total MF magnitude is significantly lower at the altitude range of 20–25 km than at higher altitudes, likely attributable to frequent wave-breaking processes and the generation of secondary GWs within 20–25 km. Compared with the traditional method, the new method significantly improves the data utilization rate of profile triples and enables a more complete measurement of the total GW MF magnitude which may originate from different sources.