Climate Lecture Flashcards

1
Q

what is the difference between weather and climate?

A

the climate is measured over a min. 30-year average

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2
Q

what are the three main changes as a result of global warming (across the world, not relating to wine or vineyards)

A

oceans are warming
sea level is rising
arctic sea ice volume is declining

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3
Q

what is one of the largest issues facing viticulture due to climate change?

A

not getting rain when we used or expect to get it

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4
Q

how is rainfall in Australia changing?

A

we are getting less rain, but patterns are also changing.

Eg, we get massive amounts in one go, as opposed to nice even flow of rain

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5
Q

what are the external forcing mechanisms of climate change

A
  • land clearing

- pollution

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6
Q

what are the internal variability causes of climate change

A
varying weather patterns 
sun flares 
ocean currents - el Nino and el Nina 
volcanic eruptions
smoke in the atmosphere
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7
Q

without the greenhouse effect, the earth’s surface temp would be…?
what is it now?

A

-18

it is now 15 or 17

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8
Q

doubling CO2 will lead to what temp increase across the globe?

A

5-6 degree

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9
Q

what is a greenhouse gas?

A

a molecule with more than two atoms in its structure

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10
Q

what is an important semantic distinction to make when referring to the greenhouse effect?

A

it is the ‘enhanced’ greenhouse effect

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11
Q

what is the ‘enhanced’ greenhouse effect

A

increasing levels of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases increase the amount of heat that is being retained between the earth and ozone layer, thus the earth’s surface heats up

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12
Q

in the last 20 years, how many of the warmest years ever recorded have occurred?

A

17

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13
Q

sustained temps above ____ are a big issue for viticulture

A

35 degrees

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14
Q

what are the expected temp increase between now and:
2030:
2070:

A

2030: 0.7-1.2 degrees
2070: 2.3-3.5 degrees

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15
Q

what is the expected rainfall decreases between now and:
2030:
2070:

A

2030: 4%
2070: 12-13%

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16
Q

what is the expected vineyard water requirement increase between now and:
2030:
2070:

A

2030: 7%
2070: 20-25%

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17
Q

what is a technique used to be more efficient with water use in irrigation?

A

watering only half the vine

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18
Q

what temp frost could destroy an entire vineyard?

what temp will do damage but perhaps to only certain areas?

A

-5
-1
vines won’t die, it will just be the shoots

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19
Q

when is frost the largest concern for viticulturalists?

A

spring - budburst

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20
Q

what is the expected CO2 range as global warming continues?

A

450 parts per million

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21
Q

how far is the “belt” that is suitable for growing vines around the world expected to move by 2050?

A

150-300km towards poles

NH towards the north, SH towards the south

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22
Q

what is the growing season average temp isotherm?

A

12-22 degrees

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23
Q

what is the growing season in months for:
Northern hemisphere
southern hemisphere

A

NH: April - October
SH: October to April

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24
Q

what are the varying things that can affect wine quality due to climate change

A
  • elevated CO2
  • accelerated phenology
  • extreme heat
  • frost
  • changed pest and disease pressures
  • water availability
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25
Q

how does extreme heat affect viticulture

A

turns all the berries to raisins

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26
Q

how can climate change impact pests and disease management in vineyards?

A
  • increased humidity may introduce new pests that we do not currently understand, therefore cannot ward against
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27
Q

what is the phenology of the vines/plants?

A

the yearly cycle

28
Q

30/40 years ago, when did we start/finish harvesting?

A

end of Jan - early April

29
Q

how is changing phenology affecting the industry?

A

all grape varieties are now reaching optimum ripeness within one to two weeks of each other, when it used to be 6-8 weeks… means more grapes are coming in at the same time which puts pressure on the winery in regards to space, fermenting utensils, storage etc

30
Q

what effect are hotter temps having on ripening? what does this mean?

A

faster ripening, this means though that less development of flavour compared to what we see with a slow ripening
also a decrease in acids
- don’t get an accumulation of tannins

31
Q

what do vines use to grow and ripen fruit (berries/grapes)

A

photosynthesis - converts sunlight to sugar

32
Q

what is the optimum temp range where vines are most efficient with photosynthesis? outside of this temp, what does the vine do?

A

15-30 degrees.

the vine shuts down

33
Q

what causes vine stress?

A
  • lack of soil moisture
  • extreme temps over 35 degrees
  • diseases and pests
  • frost at critical times - budburst and fruit set
34
Q

what are the negative outcomes of vine stress?

A
  • change in quality - flavours, acids and tannins
  • uneven ripeness
  • loss of crop
  • change in ripening time
35
Q

name how heatwaves at different times of the cycles can impact grapes

A

heatwave at flowering: all flowers die and you don’t get fruit set… results in only a third or less of fruit you expected
Heatwave at veraison: can delay veraison and get uneven ripening.. some of the vineyards will be ripe and some won’t
Heatwave at harvest: grapes “raisin off” and you lose half your yield

36
Q

what is smoke taint? when is it most threatening?

A

when smoke affects the grapes/vines
makes wine taste like ashtray
smoke at specific times, eg after veraison, closer to harvest is when it can do the most damage

37
Q

how can extreme rain affect vineyards?

A
  • fungal and mildew diseases can evolve as a result

- erosion - can lose a huge amount of soil

38
Q

what are the extreme events that can affect a vineyard

A
heatwaves 
fire danger 
extreme rain 
frost 
pests and diseases
39
Q

why is frost as a risk topical at the moment?

A

because of the changing phenology of the vineyard, bud burst is occurring earlier (into the winter months where there are frosts)

40
Q

what conditions enable a frost to happen?

A

lower rainfall
drier soils
fewer clouds
lower dew points

41
Q

what are the potential impacts of more hot days and warm spells?

A
  • shrivelled grapes
  • stalled development
  • sunburn of grapes
  • leaf damage - issues with photosynthesis to provide flavour and also act as shade to keep canopy cool
  • vineyard logistics - can’t send people out in hot days
    positive: less frost for some regions
42
Q

how will increased drought affect vineyards?

A
  • more expensive for winemakers as have to pay for water

- however, do not have to worry about diseases as much

43
Q

what are the effects if trunks of the vines burn?

A

they may reshoot a year or even two years later, but after that, they are likely to die as they have sustained damage to the inside of the vine

44
Q

what are the potential impacts of severe rainfall?

A
  • lower-lying areas can be affected if they are in water which can lead to increase disease pressure (fungal and powdery mildew)
  • berry splitting - if the vine is sitting in water, it will take on this water and direct it to the grapes
  • difficulty in obtaining fungicide because everyone wants them after a severe downpour
  • transport logistics - harvesters and tractors
45
Q

what pest and disease risks are associated with changing climate?

A
  • rainfall increase chances of mould and mildew
  • a warmer climate may bring new pests south
  • increased chance of plague type outbreaks eg, ladybugs on vines getting caught up in the harvesting process then also the fermenting process drastically affects the taste of wine
46
Q

what is the holding period of putting out insecticide before harvesting?

A

2 weeks

47
Q

why did Australia’s wine governing body allow water to be added to wine for the first time practically ever?

A

because climate change is affecting grape maturity which means more sugars are ending up in the wine.
This means that when fermented, there will be higher alcohol content which makes for bad wine when alcohol is too much, hence the water was able to be added to dilute it

48
Q

what are the effects of elevated co2?

A
  • increases crop growth by 20%
  • decreases water loss
  • increases canopy temp
49
Q

pre-1998, what was the average date that pinot noir grapes would reach 21 brix (11 or so baume)?
what is it post 1998 ?

A

pre: 10th april
post: 13th march

50
Q

for every degree of warming that we get, how many days of earlier ripening will we get?

A

10 days

51
Q

between 1940 and now in Goulburn valley (where dookie is), how many days earlier is ripening/harvesting happening?
what are the non climate change impact influencing this?

A

23 days earlier
16 days are due to non climate change reasons
- vineyard management… we are managing and purposefully making vines ripen earlier

52
Q

if vines increase their ability to accumulate carbon, what will result?
t or false, management practices have been encouraging this?

A

faster ripening.

True

53
Q

what tactics can be employed to reverse early ripening, slow ripening?

A
  • watering close to harvest delays the harvest (baume can go backwards)
  • pruning later in the season and in different ways eg, cutting back further
  • when and how we fertilize
54
Q

regarding ripening, what does less fluctuation in temp produce?

A

more complex flavours

55
Q

what is a maritime influence of grapevines

A

where vines grow near a large body of water (could be lake or ocean etc)
results in less fluctuation in temp between day and night

56
Q

where are pinot noir varieties climatically suited at the moment?

A

northern Tasmania and Mornington peninsula

57
Q

what are flavour profiles of:
cool climate shiraz:
hot climate shiraz:

A

cool climate shiraz: spicy/peppery

hot climate shiraz: jammy/fruity

58
Q
in the southern hemisphere between October and April, what temp ranges classify 
cool
intermediate 
warm 
hot 
climates?
A

cool: 13-15 degrees
intermediate: 15-17
warm: 17-19
hot: 19-24

59
Q
specify what climate each of the below grapevine varieties prefer 
riesling:
pinot: 
chardonnay:
Sav blanc: 
semillon:
merlot:
shiraz:
cab sav:
A

riesling: cool/intermediate
pinot: Little bit of cool/intermediate
chardonnay: Little bit of cool/mainly intermediate
Sav Blanc: intermediate
Semillon: intermediate/little bit of warm
merlot: intermediate - warm
shiraz: intermediate - warm
cab sav: a bit of intermediate, warm and a bit of hot

60
Q

describe
Macro-climate
Meso -
Micro -

A

Macroclimate - region as a whole
Meso - climate of the vineyard or the site
Micro - the vine itself

61
Q

describe the below effects and their impacts on climate
Latitude -
Altitude -
Maritime effect -

A

Latitude - higher you go in the southern hemisphere, the warmer it gets
Altitude - higher = cooler
Maritime effect - less variation between day and night

62
Q

Methoxypyrazine is a volatile compound.

what are its flavour profiles and which regions of sav Blancs have a lot of it? how much do these wine typically have?

A

grassy, green capsicum, leafy
NZ Marlborough
10-30 ng/L

63
Q

rotundone is another volatile compound

  • what is its flavour profile?
  • what type of shiraz is it common in?
  • at what point is it detectable in red wine by humans?
A
  • peppery
  • cool climate shiraz
  • 16 ng/L
64
Q

what is ng/L

A

nanograms per litre

65
Q

what per cent of the population cannot smell rotundone?

A

20%