The tropical atmosphere should be considered as a heat sink of the radiant energy obtained through short-wave solar radiation and terrestrial radiation. Vast expanse of the tropical oceans plays a significant role in the supply of atmospheric heat.
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Now, the data supplied by weather satellites indicate that our estimates of the depletion of solar radiation because of albedo and cloud cover were far in excess of the actual amount.
The amount of insulation received in the tropics is more than what it was previously considered to be. The ocean currents that originate in the oceans of the tropical region also contribute a lot to the transference of heat to the higher latitudes.
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The rate of exchange of energy between the oceans and the atmosphere is greater in the tropics than in any other regions.
Transfer of sensible heat to the lower layers of the atmosphere lying close to the oceans and the latent heat obtained there from are two such meteorological facts which more than compensate the loss of radiant energy in the atmosphere.
In the warm and humid atmosphere of this region the latent heat of condensation is an important source of energy for the innumerable atmospheric disturbances and tropical cyclones of varying magnitudes.
Another very important characteristic of the tropical atmosphere is that there is no random precipitation; rather it is concentrated in various atmospheric disturbances which are small in size.
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Of various factors which produce an element of instability in the tropical weather the following are more important: thermal convection; convergence; and orographic lifting of air.