European Union awards four BMKG Bali researchers

The Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia, H.E. Vincent Piket, today presented the European Union (EU) Star Award to four researchers of the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG) in Denpasar, Bali, for their research contributing to climate monitoring and air quality studies.

The EU Star Award was established by the EU Delegation to the International Organisations in Vienna, Austria, to acknowledge the most significant new scientific and technological contribution relevant to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The award decision was announced at the 2021 ‘CTBT Science and Technology Conference’, an international event organised every two years by the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), in Vienna.

A scientific panel and voting participants selected the decorated research, ‘Nyepi Day or Day of Silence Impact on Weather Parameters Measurement at Synoptic Observation Stations in Bali’, out of 700 entries from around the world. The BMKG Bali research team consisted of I Putu Dedy Pratma, Pande Komang Gede Negara, Putu Eka Tulistiawan and I Ketut Sudiarta. Their research can be accessed here: https://conferences.ctbto.org/event/7/contributions/803

“It’s a great privilege for me to present the EU Star Award to BMKG Bali’s outstanding research team. Their research contributes to climate monitoring and gives us a glimpse of how urban air quality can be improved by taking effective measures. This also shows the importance of science and research in finding responses to pressing challenges at the intersection of human health, environment, and sustainable growth,” said EU Ambassador Piket. The Ambassador also expressed his hope that the research would contribute to designing measures to improve urban air quality for human health and the environment.

“I am very proud that the EU Star Award, first established by the EU Delegation in Vienna in 2013, is now an integral part of the CTBTO’s most important, international scientific event, the Science and Technology Conference (SnT), which brings together scientists and experts from all over the world. The European Union’s partnership with the CTBTO is an example of multilateralism at work and strengthening of the international rules-based order.  We are convinced that the scientific and technological activities undertaken by the Organisation and more broadly co-operation with the scientific community are essential to achieve the CTBT's universalisation and enhance its verification regime, in line with the European Union’s non-proliferation objectives. Therefore, it was a great pleasure for me to announce the BMKG Bali research team as the winners of the EU Star Award at the 2021 SnT Conference” said H.E. Stephan Klement, EU Ambassador to the International Organisations in Vienna, Austria.

Nyepi is a unique tradition that is well-known to the world and later on inspired the Earth Hour campaign. Nyepi is a form of New Year's celebration which is carried out according to the four rules of silence or Catur Brata Penyepian. The rules to be followed during Nyepi Day include Amati Geni (no lighting fires and lights), Amati Karya (no work should be carried out), Amati Lelungan (no travelling), and Amati Lelanguan (no having fun). However, there are exceptions for certain sectors that are allowed to carry out activities without going outdoors.

Four BMKG synoptic observation stations in Bali work for 24 hours to monitor the weather, climate, and earthquake variabilities of Nyepi from year to year. The results of the monitoring were further examined as research results from four BMKG researchers in Bali. "Of the 700 research submissions that participated in the conference, there were 17 studies from Indonesia and 13 of them were research submissions from the BMKG. We are proud that one of our research results has won the EU Star Award. This award is the first for Indonesia," said the Head of BMKG, Dwikorita Karnawati.

Indonesia through BMKG has collaborated with CTBTO. The form of implementation of the Cooperation is the installation of 6 seismic stations of the CTBTO since 2002. "Indonesia is a member state of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and has signed the ratification of the ban on underground nuclear tests. Therefore, Indonesia is obliged to participate in monitoring nuclear tests through the seismic monitoring system operated by the BMKG," said the Head of BMKG, Dwikorita Karnawati.