Principal component analysis for identifying period of seasons in Indonesia
Dewi Galuh Condro Kirono(1*)
(1) 
(*) Corresponding Author
Abstract
The seasonal variability of Indonesian rainfall is almost entirely controlled by the Asian monsoon and so displays two distinct seasons, i.e. wet and dry seasons with transition periods in between. The onset of the monsoon varies with places, therefore, when dealing with seasonal rainfall, different researchers/authors have different way referring to the seasons. Hence, one definition may not be appropriate for all places. This problem creates a necessity for identifying the period of the season so that it can be used for Indonesia as a whole.
This paper examines the spatial variation of the seasons over the Indonesia region and demonstrates the application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to solve the above mentioned problem, namely to identify the period of the seasons in Indonesia as a unity. The analysis is performed using monthly rainfall data from 63 stations spread across the country covering the period of 1947 to 1999 (52 years).
The results support the fact that the wet season onset starts early in the northwestern part of Sumatra and propagates eastward and southward. It is not surprising if the north-western part of the country experiences a longer wet season than the east-northern part does. It is also shown that PCA is a useful tool for identifying the period of the season in Indonesia. Through the analysis, it is found that there are three types of rainfalls which have important influence on the year to year variation of the annual rainfall, i.e: the wet season (December to March), the dry season (May to September), and the dry-to-wet transition (October to November).
This paper examines the spatial variation of the seasons over the Indonesia region and demonstrates the application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to solve the above mentioned problem, namely to identify the period of the seasons in Indonesia as a unity. The analysis is performed using monthly rainfall data from 63 stations spread across the country covering the period of 1947 to 1999 (52 years).
The results support the fact that the wet season onset starts early in the northwestern part of Sumatra and propagates eastward and southward. It is not surprising if the north-western part of the country experiences a longer wet season than the east-northern part does. It is also shown that PCA is a useful tool for identifying the period of the season in Indonesia. Through the analysis, it is found that there are three types of rainfalls which have important influence on the year to year variation of the annual rainfall, i.e: the wet season (December to March), the dry season (May to September), and the dry-to-wet transition (October to November).
Keywords
Principal Component Analysis, Season period, Indonesia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22146/ijg.2211
Article Metrics
Abstract views : 1990Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 1970 Indonesian Journal of Geography
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Accredited Journal, Based on Decree of the Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia Number 225/E/KPT/2022, Vol 54 No 1 the Year 2022 - Vol 58 No 2 the Year 2026 (accreditation certificate download)
ISSN 2354-9114 (online), ISSN 0024-9521 (print)
IJG STATISTIC