JAKARTA (ANTARA) – Indonesia is unlikely to be affected by the heat wave currently prevailing in South Asia, Central Asia and Southeast Asia, according to a researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).
„Geographically, Indonesia is safe from a heat wave event,” Eddie Hermavan, a researcher at BRIN's Center for Climate and Atmospheric Research, said when contacted in Jakarta on Thursday.
He explained that countries currently facing heat waves are located in the Northern Hemisphere and its territories are dominated by landmasses like India and Vietnam.
Hermavan said such a phenomenon is not new to those countries and they tend to experience it when the sun moves northwards.
Meanwhile, Indonesia is a maritime country whose location leans more towards the southern hemisphere.
Oceans take longer to absorb and release heat, making oceanic countries less vulnerable to heat waves currently experienced by countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
„The sun leaves the equator and moves to the northern hemisphere. Gujarat and Hyderabad regions of India are arid and have little water, so their land accumulates solar heat,” he explained.
Unlike oceans, landmasses absorb heat and release it faster, he said. Meanwhile, he said, absorption of the sun's heat is optimal when the sun is in the north.
The researcher underlined that heat is evenly distributed over the entire planet. However, land and maritime countries respond differently to warming based on their respective regional characteristics, he said.
He added that Indonesia has never recorded a heat wave in its history and only experienced temporary heatwaves with temperatures reaching 40-42 degrees Celsius in some Indonesian areas.
„Are heat waves dangerous? Of course, they are dangerous for mainland countries, but not for Indonesia,” he added.
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