Jayawijaya Mountains Ice Remains 4 Meters, BMKG: Evidence Of Increasing Climate Change

Staff for Standardization of BMKG Meteorological Instruments Wido Hanggoro and Environmental PT. Freeport Indonesia Yohanes Kaize made measurements of the thickness of glaciers in the Jayawijaya Mountains, Central Papua. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA The thickness of ice in the Jayawijaya Mountains, Central Papua, continues to experience drastic shrinkage. According to observations by the team from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the thickness of the glacier at Puncak Sudirman is now estimated to be only four meters away.

The Coordinator for Standardization of the BMKG Climatology Instrument, Donaldi Sukma Permana, said that this measurement was based on a benchmark (stake) planted on site. Currently, 14 stakes have been revealed, meaning the ice thickness is only about four meters," Donaldi said as quoted by ANTARA Monday, December 2, 2024.

This decrease in thickness is much more significant than the results of measurements in 2010, where ice was recorded to have a thickness of 32 meters. In fact, from November 2015 to May 2016, the ice thickness had shrunk to 5.6 meters, which at that time was influenced by the strong El Kalimantan phenomenon.

The results of a survey in November 2024 show that the surface area of ice in Puncak Sudirman is now only 0.11'0.16 square kilometers, down drastically from 0.23 square kilometers in 2022.

This decline marks a big challenge for the joint BMKG survey team and PT Freeport Indonesia which have routinely made measurements since 2010.

"We are now using more visual image analysis and stake observations because since 2017 direct measurements in the field have become more difficult," said Donaldi.

Although it is difficult to maintain the presence of ice in this area, BMKG is committed to continuing the survey to document the condition of the Jayawijaya glacier to completion.

BMKG assesses the disbursement of Jayawijaya Mountains ice as clear evidence of the impact of climate change. Based on data from the BMKG Greenhouse Gas Informatives Division, the current global temperature has increased by 1.45 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial period. In Indonesia, the average temperature increases by 0.15 degrees Celsius every 10 years.

"This temperature increase is most pronounced in areas such as Kalimantan, southern Sumatra, Jakarta and surrounding areas, as well as Mountains Papua," said Albert C. Nahas, Coordinator of the BMKG Greenhouse Gas Informative Sub Division.

With this trend, BMKG estimates that by the middle of the 21st century, Indonesia will exceed the threshold for rising temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is the main reference for mitigating global climate change.

The shrinking of Jayawijaya Mountains ice is not only a symbol of the loss of natural diversity, but also a real alarm over the climate crisis. BMKG reminded the need for more aggressive mitigation steps to suppress greenhouse gas emissions, as well as adaptation to increasingly real impacts.

The government and the public are encouraged to increase awareness and actively participate in maintaining environmental balance in order to prevent a worse impact in the future.