Suchergebnisse

Ozone is the most damaging phytotoxic air pollutant to crop yield quantity and quality. This study presents the validation of a simulation with the WRF-CHIMERE modelling system in order to assess the risk of phytotoxicity by tropospheric ozone for an important and characteristic Mediterranean crop, i.e. the grapevine. The study region was the Douro wine region in Portugal, which is characterized by a rugged relief and a Mediterranean climate. The simulation covered a reference grapevine growing season in the Northern Hemisphere (from April to September 2017), during which a particular measuring campaign was also carried out. The validation of the meteorological simulations on a daily and hourly time resolution was performed based on data from three weather stations, namely on temperature, global solar radiation, relative humidity, wind speed and direction values. The ozone phytotoxicity was assessed with data from two measuring stations. A specific grapevine growth parameter based on monitored phenological observations was introduced for ozone stomatal uptake assessment. Concerning meteorology, validation statistics were acceptable and within the range of what has been found in other regional climate modelling simulations. Ground-level ozone-based values were calculated for a better assessment of the phytotoxic risk, in particular cumulative standards for vegetation protection. Stomatal flux estimates were within the range of those measured for the local cultivars in the field campaign when there was not severe water stress limitation. Both field and statistically adjusted model values indicate that considerable areas in the Demarcated Douro Region of Portugal can exceed the critical exposure values for vegetation according to current European legislation standards. Moreover, measured and simulated results indicate an ozone impact on grapevine yield and quality in the target region because the exposure- and flux-based indices exceed the criteria based on current open-top-chamber experimental knowledge. ; The ...

For multiple reasons, climate change is likely to contribute to the increase in water consumption and to the deterioration of its quality. Water scarcity has been a major concern to the wine sector, given the strong impact that can it have on the vineyard productivity, wine quality and on the vineyard environment. In Portugal, there is an alarming trend in the annual mean temperature increase, as fear grows that it may aggravate water scarcity, so there is a concern that justifies the increase in the number of the studies in these scientific areas. Environmental footprint indicators have frequently been calculated through the use of life cycle approaches (LCA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the water scarcity footprint (WSF) for the production of a bottle of wine thus providing additional support for strategic decisions made in these sectors. 2. Experimental - The assessment of WSF in the wine production in the south of Portugal (Alentejo region) was based on the methodological framework defined in the ISO 14046 standard. The functional unit (UF) selected for the study was a 0.75L wine bottle. A cradle-to-gate approach was adopted in the study, and, therefore, the system under study was limited to the viticulture stage and wine production. For this WSF study, the GaBi Software (Thinkstep) was used with its professional database. The main water scarcity regional characterization factors used in this study were Water Scarcity Index, AWaRe (WULCA), and UBP. 3. Results and Discussion - The preliminary results show the difference between the proposed methodologies for water scarcity footprint assessment when applied to wine production in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The water scarcity footprint methods may give different results depending on their assumptions. Furthermore, the preliminary assessment identified that upstream and downstream processes were both relevant to the WSF. With the identification of hotspots and the implementation of actions for water conservation and saving it is expected that it will minimize the environmental impact of winegrowing and reduce the vulnerability of the vine-wine chain. 4. Conclusions - The WSF should be included as an indicator to determine the uses and consumptions of water in wine production as it is a useful decision-making tool for both companies and governmental authorities. In addition, the results from this work may prompt the comparison between water footprints in regions of Portugal and the rest of the world. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion