4 ms·

If you didn't read the article, the headline could be misunderstood: records have been kept since 812, and the previous record was in 1409. As an aside, it's p

If you didn't read the article, the headline could be misunderstood: records have been kept since 812, and the previous record was in 1409. As an aside, it's pretty incredible to have 1200 years of data for this.

titzer 6y ago
Headline could as well be read "Earliest peak since records began in 812".
- spoonjim 6y ago
  Everyone knows that all “world records” are only since record keeping began. The difference is that in the US that means about 200 years while in Japan it means more than a thousand.
  - blondie9x 6y ago
    So many world records involving the climate have been broken in recent years. Is there still hope left for our planet? I was in the ocean a few months back and the water was calm, the sound of the waves was peaceful. The beach was beautiful. But there was a problem beneath the surface. Plastic everywhere. Pieces of it broken down throughout the water and when I exited the water it was all throughout the sand as well. I walked up the entire beach and plastic was everywhere. Throughout such refined sand. I hit a low that day. Sometimes I lose hope, I'm just not sure we will be able to right our course towards sustainability and minimalism in time to avert climate disaster and this sixth mass extinction in the anthropocence. I just hope one day when I'm old I will not lose the sakura blossom festivals altogether and that posterity will still be able to enjoy the tranquility of a new spring.
  - scarmig 6y ago
    Not quite. Oftentimes we use proxies for historical data. For instance, you might look at the composition of annually stratified sediments to get a sense of climactic and environmental conditions. This gets us approximate but reasonable estimates of e.g. the temperature, but can't really be said to represent a "record." Even for cherry blossoms, they put off pollen, so you could probably do something similar. It'd be tricky to get a fine enough resolution (I'd be impressed if you could even get estimates as specific as month-level). Though the millenium of data would be awesome for verifying the proxy.
    - matkoniecz 6y ago
      Ice cores are pretty amazing. > Cores are drilled with hand augers (for shallow holes) or powered drills; they can reach depths of over 3.2 km, and contain ice up to 800,000 years old. > The physical properties of the ice and of material trapped in it can be used to reconstruct the climate over the age range of the core. The proportions of different oxygen and hydrogen isotopes provide information about ancient temperatures, and the air trapped in tiny bubbles can be analysed to determine the level of atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_core https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_core (edited for SI units preference)
jansan 6y ago
Japan has a company that was founded in 578 and still exists, so why not keep records. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kong%C5%8D_Gumi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kong%C5%8D_Gumi
- virgilp 6y ago
  No longer exists as an independent company though. > In January 2006, after falling on difficult times, it became a subsidiary of the Takamatsu Construction Group. The oldest one that still operates independently appears to be still from Japan, though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nishiyama_Onsen_Keiunkan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nishiyama_Onsen_Keiunkan
- missedthecue 6y ago
  That must be the only construction company that has lasted longer than one business cycle.
dang 6y ago
1409 is plenty early and less ambiguous, so I've put that in the title instead.
- etiam 6y ago
  Sorry, but that seem unambiguously inaccurate. To me that reads like 1409 had an even earlier blossoming, and still holds the record, whereas what's actually reported is this is a new earliest since records began. Granted, it's not much difference between 26th and 27th, (and the peak must surely be at least a little bit subjective?) but if we're disambiguating, why not 'earliest peak since records began, in 812' or similar. At least that's consistent with what's being reported.
  - dang 6y ago
    OK, changed again!
    - etiam 6y ago
      Thanks. I think that's better.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

titzer 6y ago

Headline could as well be read "Earliest peak since records began in 812".

spoonjim 6y ago
Everyone knows that all “world records” are only since record keeping began. The difference is that in the US that means about 200 years while in Japan it means more than a thousand.
- blondie9x 6y ago
  So many world records involving the climate have been broken in recent years. Is there still hope left for our planet? I was in the ocean a few months back and the water was calm, the sound of the waves was peaceful. The beach was beautiful. But there was a problem beneath the surface. Plastic everywhere. Pieces of it broken down throughout the water and when I exited the water it was all throughout the sand as well. I walked up the entire beach and plastic was everywhere. Throughout such refined sand. I hit a low that day. Sometimes I lose hope, I'm just not sure we will be able to right our course towards sustainability and minimalism in time to avert climate disaster and this sixth mass extinction in the anthropocence. I just hope one day when I'm old I will not lose the sakura blossom festivals altogether and that posterity will still be able to enjoy the tranquility of a new spring.
- scarmig 6y ago
  Not quite. Oftentimes we use proxies for historical data. For instance, you might look at the composition of annually stratified sediments to get a sense of climactic and environmental conditions. This gets us approximate but reasonable estimates of e.g. the temperature, but can't really be said to represent a "record." Even for cherry blossoms, they put off pollen, so you could probably do something similar. It'd be tricky to get a fine enough resolution (I'd be impressed if you could even get estimates as specific as month-level). Though the millenium of data would be awesome for verifying the proxy.
  - matkoniecz 6y ago
    Ice cores are pretty amazing. > Cores are drilled with hand augers (for shallow holes) or powered drills; they can reach depths of over 3.2 km, and contain ice up to 800,000 years old. > The physical properties of the ice and of material trapped in it can be used to reconstruct the climate over the age range of the core. The proportions of different oxygen and hydrogen isotopes provide information about ancient temperatures, and the air trapped in tiny bubbles can be analysed to determine the level of atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_core https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_core (edited for SI units preference)

jansan 6y ago

Japan has a company that was founded in 578 and still exists, so why not keep records. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kong%C5%8D_Gumi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kong%C5%8D_Gumi

virgilp 6y ago
No longer exists as an independent company though. > In January 2006, after falling on difficult times, it became a subsidiary of the Takamatsu Construction Group. The oldest one that still operates independently appears to be still from Japan, though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nishiyama_Onsen_Keiunkan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nishiyama_Onsen_Keiunkan
missedthecue 6y ago
That must be the only construction company that has lasted longer than one business cycle.

dang 6y ago

1409 is plenty early and less ambiguous, so I've put that in the title instead.

etiam 6y ago
Sorry, but that seem unambiguously inaccurate. To me that reads like 1409 had an even earlier blossoming, and still holds the record, whereas what's actually reported is this is a new earliest since records began. Granted, it's not much difference between 26th and 27th, (and the peak must surely be at least a little bit subjective?) but if we're disambiguating, why not 'earliest peak since records began, in 812' or similar. At least that's consistent with what's being reported.
- dang 6y ago
  OK, changed again!
  - etiam 6y ago
    Thanks. I think that's better.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]