HR: 09:45h
AN: B31E-08    [Abstracts]
TI: A Grape's Eye View of the World: Environmental Biophysics and Microclimate in the Vineyard
AU: * Weiss, S B
EM: stubweiss@netscape.net
AF: Creekside Center for Earth Observations, 27 Bishop Lane, Menlo Park, CA 94025 United States
AB: The systematic application of environmental biophysics -- the macroclimate-mesoclimate-topoclimate-microclimate continuum -- to viticulture promises to meld art and science in a glass of wine. Few enterprises are as sensitive to microclimate as is fine-wine viticulture. Small variations in temperature can make the difference between quality wines commanding high prices and ordinary wines selling for considerably less. Excessive heat damages grapes, while insufficient heat slows ripening, and phenological variability creates challenges for the viticulturalist and winemaker. Vineyard site selection considers a mix of macroclimatic, mesoclimatic, and topoclimatic factors, along with soils. Once a site is chosen, vineyard design considers varietal, row direction, trellis design, and canopy management. Hemispherical, or fisheye photography creates a grape's eye view of the world, and allows for detailed solar exposure modeling at the level of individual grape clusters. Grape cluster exposure varies greatly among the numerous available trellis designs, from one side of the trellis to another, and according to row direction. Parameters extracted from fisheye photography provide the basis for energy balance modeling of grape clusters and prediction of grape temperatures from above-canopy weather. This presentation illustrates how vineyard decisions can be made using these principles. Vineyards may be viewed as model systems for integrating multi-scale climate modeling, fine-scale environmental biophysics, plant physiology, canopy structure, and phenology in an enjoyable research arena.
DE: 0315 Biosphere/atmosphere interactions (0426, 1610)
DE: 0439 Ecosystems, structure and dynamics (4815)
DE: 0466 Modeling
DE: 0476 Plant ecology (1851)
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005