Solar energy and weather conditions in the Caribbean

Abstract

During the day, the earth’s energy budget in tropical countries assures a positive Net Radiation during the whole year. Net Radiation is the difference between all the incoming and outgoing radiation. The geographical location of Puerto Rico is in an optimal position. Low latitude of the Island, the incoming solar radiation exceeds the longwave radiation and therefore there is an energy surplus. The energy flows from a low latitude to a higher latitude. The circulation of energy throughout the atmosphere and ocean currents supports the earth's reaching radioactive balance. This makes the earth have proper temperatures according to the location. The main goal of this research is to study the atmospheric factors with energy balance and to determine a correlation with the behavior of atmospheric phenomena during the hurricane season. A connection has been seen between the periods where solar radiation increases with the surge of atmospheric phenomena. During the process, ten years of data were collected from GOES satellites, meteorological stations, and historical data.