The effect of submeso motions on small-scale turbulence is studied considering the budget of the vertical flux of stream-wise momentum, ⟨uw⟩, in the atmospheric stable boundary layer (SBL). A parameter expressing the strength of the submeso effect is defined, and the budget is evaluated from observations both for small and large submeso effect. It results that submeso motions affect the efficiency of the vertical transport by small-scale turbulence, having implications on the terms composing the momentum flux budget and on its corresponding closures.