Dry Season - Definition, When It Occurs, Characteristics

Introduction

Drought is one of the disasters that occurs during the dry season when there is a lack of water supply in an area for a long time (months, even years). This situation causes labor impacts on life, agriculture, economy and the environment.
On this occasion, we will discuss one of the seasons in Indonesia besides the rainy season, namely the dry season. Meanwhile, a complete discussion of drought covering the meaning, causes, impacts and ways of dealing with drought can be read on this link.

Definition of the dry season

Dry or also known as dry season is the season in the tropics which is influenced by the season system. A certain period of time is called the dry season if the monthly rainfall is below 60 mm per month or 20 mm per dasarian for 3 consecutive decades. A Dasarian is a unit of meteorological time that is ten days long.

The dry season is the opposite of the rainy season in areas that experience dual seasons. Sometimes certain areas can experience a long dry season characterized by very hot temperatures for a long period of time, causing drought. This condition is related to the El Nino and La Nina phenomena.

Time of Occurrence

The dry period in various countries around the world takes place at different times. For the Indonesian region, usually the dry season occurs from April to September. Furthermore, it changes to the rainy season which is preceded by a transition period or called the transition or transition season.

The dry season is influenced by the movement of the eastern monsoon which passes through Indonesia. Monsoon winds are winds that blow from the northern hemisphere, causing the Australian continent to be colder and the air pressure to increase. This situation makes the temperature on the Asian continent increase with low air pressure.
Furthermore, the winds originating from Australia and passing through the deserts are hot and dry. The wind will be blown towards Indonesia and cause the dry season.

Characteristics and Characteristics

We cannot immediately say that a place is experiencing security or not. This is because the dry season has different characteristics and characteristics compared to other seasons, including:

• Rainfall in the dry season is lower than 60 mm per month or below 20 mm per year, respectively. Even the rain intensites will become less and less until it does not fall at all in a few months.
• The sunshine during the day is very hot with cloudy sky conditions.
• The air temperature during the day is very hot with high humidity.
• Hot conditions and reduced water sources will cause the soil to crack and dry during the dry season.
• The flow of water from the river will decrease and many water sources will dry up.
• Trees will shed their leaves or wither as a form of adaptation to reduce evaporation.
• Absolute air humidity increases but relative humidity decreases significantly.

Causes of the dry season

Drought cannot be avoided, but we can anticipate it so as not to cause harm to the environment, food and other sectors. The following are the conditions that cause the dry season in Indonesia, namely:

• The Monsoon Winds from the Continent of Australia
• When entering the months of April to October, the east monsoon winds will bring down the air that comes from the Australian desert region. The aingin moves through Indonesia so that the archipelago will feel warmer air.
• Indonesia's Geographical Condition
• Indonesia's position on the equator makes it two seasons. When there is dry season, generally the areas near the equator will find it difficult to source water until it is dry.
• The El Nino phenomenon
• El Nino is a phenomenon of warming sea surface temperatures in the central to eastern Pacific Ocean. The impact of this event is very large, namely there will be an increase in rainfall in the Latin America region and cause prolonged drought in Indonesian territory.
• Air Pollution and Natural Destruction
• Air pollution due to human activities as well as forest destruction also exacerbates drought. Environmental damage can increase global warming so that the seasons are very extreme.

Impact of Drought and Drought

Dry season can be bad for humans, flora and fauna. An example is the long drought that occurred in 2012 which caused crop failure, fires, and so on.

Fire

Fires during the dry season can occur in forest areas and community settlements. Fire events in general tend to increase when drought strikes.
The bad effects of forest fires are:

• Forest fire smog can interfere with the view of transportation means, such as public transportation and airplanes.
• Fire haze can harm humans, causing various respiratory diseases.

Crop failure

Harvest failure is a condition when the farmer fails to harvest agricultural or plantation products due to drought which causes the plant to die. This condition occurs because there is no water to irrigate the planting area.
The adverse effects of crop failure are:

• There will be a hike in food prices, so that the socio-economy of the community will be disrupted.
• Farmers will experience losses as a result of agricultural or plantation crops dying and not making a profit.

Animals Entering the Settlement

Reduced water supplies in nature will drive animals out of their habitats in search of water. One of them is the entry of animals into residents' housing, causing conflict between the community and the animals

Countries Experiencing Dry Season

An example of a country that experiences a dry season is Indonesia. In addition, other countries on the equator also experience, such as parts of the United States, all countries in Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan, northeastern Australia and all countries on the African continent.
The following are some areas in the world that experience extreme dry seasons, namely:

• Dallol, Ethiopia - The dry season between 1960 and 1966 that occurred in this city made the temperature reach 34.44 degrees Celsius and even 37.77 degrees Celsius. The volcanic landscape surrounding the Dallol makes the air temperature even higher.
• Badlands, Australia - This continent is the driest inhabited area in the world. Badlands are vast deserts with high temperatures during the dry season. The land surface temperature of this place can reach 68.80 degrees Celsius.
• Death Valley, United States - According to records, Death Valley's highest temperature ever reached 56.67 degrees Celsius. This region is the lowest, driest and hottest place in North America.