Frost Phenomenon in Papua May Last throughout August: Researcher
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12 August 2022 07:47 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Extreme dry weather marked by a severe frost phenomenon in the mountainous region of Lanny Jaya, Papua, is predicted to last throughout August. In the eastern province, such as Kuyawage, this condition may even continue until September.
“In the mountainous area of Lanny Jaya, there is a potential for a wet season in September 2022,” said climatology researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Erma Yulihastin, in a written statement, Thursday, August 11, 2022.
She explained that the frost phenomenon or also known as embun upas is triggered by local factors. Erma compared it with the east monsoon wind anomaly from Australia.
Weather data from Sentani Airport sent to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) showed that the maximum daily temperature in the region was over 34 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature ranges from 22-23 degrees Celsius, with the average dew point temperature being 21-22 degrees Celsius. This condition has persisted for five days from July 24-28, 2022.
The maximum temperature, Erma informed, was the highest during July and exceeded normal conditions. A similar condition occurred in July 2020.
"The tendency for rising maximum temperature and a drop in daily minimum temperature is accompanied by low air humidity which is less than 77 percent, proving that the air tends to be dry in the Papua region,” she said.
This condition is exacerbated by the absence of clouds over the country due to the impact of tropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere some time ago and will continue during August 2022.
Agro-climatology researcher Aris Pramudia said this condition clearly affects agriculture that is not resistant to embun upas, such as tea, tobacco, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. He suggested farmers replace the plant types with papaya which is more resistant to frost and drought. “Or other plant commodities with thick leaves such as cacti, dragon fruit, jackfruit, durian, and so on.”
ANWAR SISWADI (CONTRIBUTOR)
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