ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has been monitoring glaciers in Puncak Jaya from 2009 to 2023.
In the period 2016 to 2022, the average ice area decreased by around 0.07 square kilometers per year, with an estimated total ice area in April 2022 reaching 0.23 square kilometers.
In monitoring in 2022, BMKG estimates that the thickness of the remaining ice in December 2022 will reach 6 meters. However, in December 2023, the latest data shows that the thickness of the ice is getting thinner with a reduction of up to 4 meters, or leaving a thickness of 2 meters.
“This is possibly related to El Nino conditions in 2022-2023,” said BMKG Climatology Research and Development Coordinator Donaldi Permana in a virtual seminar related to sustainable climate welcoming the 74th World Meteorology Day in Denpasar, Bali, Thursday, April 18 2024.
Climate change due to global warming is the main factor in the thinning of the eternal snow cover in Puncak Jaya.
Since the industrial revolution in 1850, the region’s perennial snow cover has been slowly depleting. In 1850, the area of eternal ice in Puncak Jaya reached around 19 square kilometers, but by May 2022 it is estimated that only 0.34 square kilometers will remain.
Apart from Puncak Jaya, several mountains in other tropical regions are also experiencing ice melt, such as Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Quelccaya in Peru, and Naimona’nyi in the Himalayan highlands, Tibet.
2023 The Hottest Year
According to BMKG, the 2023 period will be the hottest year with the global average temperature for 10 years (2014-2023) reaching 1.20 plus minus 0.12 degrees Celsius.
Therefore, it is important to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Some mitigation and adaptation steps that can be taken include planting trees, reducing and recycling plastic, transitioning to green energy, saving electricity and fuel oil, and reducing the use of private vehicles. (ATN)
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