An intriguing paper that describes how Ryukyuan classical music could play an important role in engaging Okinawans and those in the Okinawan diaspora in the geosciences and science education.  I enjoyed listening to the examples of Nubui Kuduchi and Kudai Kuduchi; this is definitely a strength of this paper.  

While this paper has the potential to contribute to scientific progress within the scope of Geoscience Communication, it fails to do so due to its lack of claim for significance (so what?) that is solidly grounded in the scholarly literature.

From what is presented, the paper has the potential to contribute to (a) the literature on Indigenous Knowledge and how traditional music can help scientists better understand historical as well as more recent climatic and geological processes; and (b) the literature on how traditional music, especially those of marginalised communities, could be used to improve engagement of these communities with science, and empower them.  Unfortunately, the authors fail situate the article well within the scholarly literature.  In fact, the literature review in the Introduction section is too superficial for the reader to get a good understanding of the literature.  As for (a), it is unclear what the literature (i.e., the works cited in lines 21-24 of page 1) discusses on how traditional music can help scientists better understand historical as well as more recent climatic and geological processes.  As for (b), four articles are cited as highlighting “previous works highlight how incorporating indigenous stewardship in Earth science courses can increase engagement by emphasizing the local, land-human interactions to which a learner has an ancestral connection” but we have no idea what these previous works have said on this topic.  Thus, it is unclear to the reader how this paper contributes to the literature on (a) and (b).

Similarly, it is unclear from the brief mentions of the literature at the end of p.2 to the first paragraph on p.3, what has been written so far (if any) on the topic of Ryukyuan classical music and climatic/geological processes.  Is this paper filling a gap in any literature?  If so, what exactly are the gaps?

The methods is another section where scientific rigour could be improved; the methods are not described comprehensively.  In particular, it would be good for the reader to know (1) what are the other versions/schools of Nubui Kuduchi and Kudai Kuduchi exist, why the version used for analysis in the paper was used (is it the “mainstream” version?  Why was it not compared with other versions/schools?); (2) a description of the Okinawan diaspora in general, and the diaspora in Hawai’i, and what kind of differences would the reader need to be aware of, in terms of the Okinawans in Okinawa vs. the diaspora elsewhere (also related to (1) above, are there differences in Nubui Kuduchi and Kudai Kuduchi sung by Okinawans in Okinawa and those transmitted within the diasporas?); (3) more details on methodology used to “link” observations of climatic, geological, and environmental processes, as the authors refer to Swanson’s work.  This may help the reader understand better how photos and images (Figures 2, 4) were used in the analysis.  What is written in sections 4.2-4.3 show that the lyrics and historical records concur; how was this information analysed to lead to the discussion in section 5.1?    

Sections 5.2 and 5.3 appear to be literature review sections, much of which could be brought to the Introduction section to show us the gaps (or, what this paper builds on) in the literature.  Once again, the authors would need to include more details so the reader can get a better understanding of the literature on the topic.

I also recommend that the authors state the argument of the article clearly in the introduction.  Currently, the first time the argument appears (after the abstract) is at the end of the methods section. It would be helpful for the reader to see this earlier. 

Once again, the fact that the authors have experiences and expertise as Ryukyu classical musicians makes this paper particularly appealing.  Once the scientific rigour is strengthened, the paper could make an important contribution to scientific progress within the scope of Geoscience Communication.    

The work is very interesting and includes meteorological and geological descriptions found in classical music pieces: Nubui Kuduchi and Kudai Kuduchi, two Ryūkyū koten songs composed during the rule of the Satsuma Domain over the Ryukyu Kingdom.

These songs provide valuable information for extracting historical climate data from Ryūkyū koten  lyrics, which can be used to connect cultural arts with science and education in the western Pacific region.

The voyages described to the north of Okinawa Island, where numerous active volcanoes are located, offered a rare opportunity to document volcanism in Ryukyuan songs.

The use of artistic sources to obtain scientific information is an extremely rich field that deserves further exploration across many artistic disciplines.

The article adopts a multidisciplinary approach, highlighting aspects of historical, cultural, environmental, climatic, and geological interest.

I believe this is the right approach to enhance sources that deserve attention, also for educational purposes.

The introduction and the research objectives are clear; however, the geographical distinction between the Kyushu Islands and Okinawa is not clear, either in the text or in Figure 1.

Figure 2: Please add the meaning of the red dashed line in the caption.

Each figure should be placed immediately after it is first mentioned in the text.