Jakarta, IO – The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) responded to viral information on social media regarding the Aphelion phenomenon which causes cold temperatures in a number of regions in Indonesia.
BMKG Public Relations Department said that the cold temperatures that occurred had nothing to do with the Aphelion natural phenomenon this year. It was also explained that Aphelion itself is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs every year (around July), when the position of the Sun is at the farthest point from Earth, per Katadata, Friday (7/7).
“During Aphelion, the position of the sun is indeed at the farthest point from the earth. Even so, these conditions do not have much effect on atmospheric phenomena or weather on the earth’s surface, he said.
The phenomenon of cold temperatures itself is referred to as a natural thing which is indeed common in the peak months of the dry season in Indonesia, namely between July and September. This period is marked by the movement of the wind from the east-southeast originating from the Australian continent.
At the same time, Australia is in the winter period. This difference in air pressure patterns causes the movement of air masses from Australia to Indonesia or known as the Australian Cold Monsoon.
This wind then passes through the waters of the Indonesian Ocean which has relatively cold sea surface temperatures. This is what causes the temperature in several regions in Indonesia, especially the southern part of the equator (Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara) to be colder.
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In addition to the impact of winds from Australia, BMKG explained that reduced clouds and rain from Java to Nusa Tenggara also contributed to cold temperatures at night.
“This is because the absence of water vapor and water means that the radiant energy released by the earth at night is not stored in the atmosphere,” he said. (bp)