The TMC operation is being carried out in cooperation with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), and the Indonesian Air Force.
"This TMC operation aims to anticipate bad weather during the 42nd ASEAN Summit considering there will be several outdoor events, such as a welcoming dinner for ASEAN heads of state and delegates at the Ayana Hotel," the head of BMKG, Dwikorita Karnawati, said in a statement received here on Wednesday.
She informed that the TMC operation will be carried out from May 9 to 11, 2023.
According to Karnawati, the operation is being conducted using a Cassa aircraft belonging to Air Squadron 4 Abdulrachman Saleh Air Base, Malang, which has a post at Tambolaka Airport, Southwest Sumba.
She said that her agency is in charge of determining the clouds and the coordinate points for the NaCl or salt seeding. Once the targeted cloud is identified, salt is transported by a plane belonging to the Indonesian Air Force and spread manually over the cloud.
Cloud seeding using salt is being carried out on cumulus rain clouds. The sowing of salt is aimed at speeding up precipitation and causing rain to occur immediately, before the clouds can reach the ASEAN Summit venue in Labuan Bajo.
Meanwhile, BMKG’s deputy for meteorology, Guswanto, said that the government has prepared 20 tons of salt for the TMC operation.
The seeding points are located in the northeast and east of Labuan Bajo, Manggarai district, West Manggarai district; borders of West Manggarai and East Manggarai districts; Sawu Sea; as well as the waters and savanna fields of NTT.
"The height of cloud seeding will be at an altitude of 8 thousand – 10 thousand feet above sea level," he informed.
Based on an analysis of atmospheric dynamics and forecasts from BMKG meteorological data, there has been an increase in weather conditions caused by weather dynamics, namely the development of the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO), which is in quadrant 5, Guswanto informed.
MJO could potentially increase the weather conditions in eastern Indonesia in general and Labuan Bajo in particular.
Currently, the dominant wind direction is from the northeast-southeast, which is influenced by the active Australian monsoon. Therefore, related parties and the community must remain alert for potentially strong winds, he said.
Meanwhile, the temperature of the sea surface in NTT is still quite warm. The active equatorial Rossby wave and sufficiently moist air at every layer of the atmosphere have led to the potential for cloud accumulation in the West Manggarai area, he informed.
"We hope this TMC operation can contribute to the success of the 42nd ASEAN Summit," he remarked.
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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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