Cherry Blossoms, Concrete Jungles & Climatic Exaggerations – Study finds ‘urban thermometers are located in dense concrete jungles’
By Marc Morano
April 3, 2025
By Vijay Jayaraj
The peak bloom of the cherry blossoms has arrived in Washington, D.C. Seeing the Capitol in the spring of 2023 was a visual feast for me. However, nothing compares to Japan’s stunning Sakura flowers. Be it the brighter Kawazu-zakura variety or the Yoshino cherry, these blossoms draw thousands of visitors from all over the world.
Perhaps what most makes Japan visually striking is the contrast between its bustling cities and peaceful rural areas punctuated by views of majestic mountains. Another difference in these two varied locales is their thermal profiles.
Temperatures are typically higher in the concrete jungles of Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, and Nagoya than in the countryside. The well-known Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon is the cause of this disparity. To put it simply, urban centers get hotter because heat is retained by artificial surfaces like the steel, concrete, and asphalt of buildings and pavement. This is compounded by a myriad of heat-generating sources like air conditioning units and vehicles.
https://www.climatedepot.com/2025/04/03/cherry-blossoms-concrete-jungles-climatic-exaggerations-study-finds-urban-thermometers-are-located-in-dense-concrete-jungles/
