The research we do can be divided into the headings listed below. Under each heading we include a few of the things we are currently working on. See the Projects page for more information on some of the research areas.

Regional Rainfall Modeling (MM5)

Statistical Analysis:

• Examining the effect of concurrent SST anomalies on Caribbean rainfall.


• Analyzing and understanding climate variability in the Caribbean Islands.


• The influence of the Tropical Atlantic vs. the Tropical Pacific on Caribbean rainfall


• Estimating daytime latent heat flux and evapotranspiration in Jamaica


• Investigating the possible use of Statistical Downscaling Models within the Caribbean


• Climate variability and its impact on dengue for the Caribbean


• Modelling of cane yields at Worthy Park Sugar Estate in Jamaica


• Generation of climate change scenarios with applications to health and water resources


• Understanding Climate change impacts on biodeversity and the development of projects to study theses impacts


• Investigating hurricanes using regional climate models

Dynamics

• Using sea surface temperature anomalies to predict flood and drought conditions for the Caribbean.


• Investigating the link between early season Caribbean rainfall and the El Niño+1 year


• Examining the large scale mechanisms which yield Caribbean climate.

Renewable Energy
(Solar Radiation in Jamaica)

Closely related to climate studies are renewable energy studies done by the Group. Prospecting for alternative energy sources is important for 2 reasons:

• approximately 90% of Jamaica’s energy consumption is produced from fossil fuel, all of which have to be imported into the island


• the major source of carbon dioxide, a green house gas, comes from the conversion of fossil fuel into energy – a switch to alternative sources of energy, such as wind and solar, is therefore one of the ways to reduce green house gas emission.

The Group is therefore involved in prospecting for solar and wind energy by means, of course, of studying the 'climate' of solar and wind energy, i.e. by measuring at their average values and variations and predicting their future availability.

An example of one of the renewable energy projects we are involved in is the Generation of Electricity by Wind Turbines at Munro College.

CLIMATE STUDIES APPLICATIONS
Sugar Cane Yield and Surface Energy Studies

To study the effect of climate on sugar cane yield, a weather-generated mechanistic model of crop yield, (developed at the Agricultural University of Havana) will be utilized an applied in the Jamaica context. Experimental studies have also been conducted to understand and model evapotranspiration from short cropped surfaces. Attention has been given to the development of empirical schemes to partition the available energy into latent heat and sensible heat using routine meteorological parameters.

Climate-health Linkages Study
As part of the Inter-American Institute (IAI) for Change Research project entitled Diagnostics and Prediction of Climate Variability and Human Health Impacts in the Tropical Americas, CSGM is collaborating with Dr. Sam Rawlins of the Caribbean Epidemiology Center to determine if there is a climate signal in the incidence of dengue fever in the Caribbean.

Research is currently ongoing under the following themes:

 Other CSGM activities include-
- Caribbean Climate Outlook Fora
- Jamaican National Drought Advisory Committee
- Agricultural Drought Monitoring
- Regional Modeling