Cerasus

Social media snaps map the sweep of Japan’s cherry blossom season in unprecedented detail

Retrieved on: 
Sunday, June 4, 2023

In a new study published in Flora, we show how social media can be used for “incidental citizen science”.

Key Points: 
  • In a new study published in Flora, we show how social media can be used for “incidental citizen science”.
  • From photos posted to a social site, we mapped countrywide patterns in nature over a decade in relatively fine detail.
  • Our case study was the annual spread of cherry blossom flowering across Japan, where millions of people view the blooming each year in a cultural event called “hanami”.
  • The flowering spreads across Japan in a wave (“sakura zensen” or 桜前線) following the warmth of the arriving spring season.