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australasian monsoon On a seasonal scale, the climate of Indonesia is influenced by the Australasian monsoon. The seasonal movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) across the equator causes differences in air pressure between the Asian continent and Australia that shift every 6 months and cause a seasonal reversal of the monsoon winds over Indonesia. The dynamic atmospheric pattern in turn drives changes in surface water circulation, which alters regional sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface salinity (SSS). The NW monsoon prevails during northern hemisphere winter and is the rainy season in Indonesia. During the NW monsoon (December-March), the northeasterly winds blow north across the equator. During the SE monsoon (June-September; dry season), when the prevailing winds blow northwestward from Australia SSTs range between ~26°C-29°C. Precipitation is above 6.5 mm/day over all of Indonesia during the NW monsoon, while during the SE monsoon precipitation is lower in central-eastern Indonesia. |
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