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Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Climate Research
Publication Date
11-2001
Volume
19
First Page
25
Last Page
34
Abstract
Climatic changes over coastal California from 1951 to 1997 may have benefited the premium wine industry, as seen in higher quality wines and larger grape yields. Observed temperature warming trends were asymmetric, with greatest warming at night and during spring. Warming was associated with large increases in eastern Pacific sea surface temperatures (SST) and amounts of atmospheric water vapor. Although the average annual temperature warming trend was modest (1.13°C/47 yr), there was a 20 d reduction in frost occurrence and a 65 d increase in frost-free growing season length. In the Napa and Sonoma valleys, warmer winter and spring temperatures advanced the start of the growing season by 18 to 24 d, and enhanced atmospheric water vapor resulted in a 7 % reduction in evaporative demand. Given the strong coupling between Pacific SSTs and the coastal California climate, and because regional-scale SSTs persist for 6 to 12 mo, additional research may allow the possibility of predicting vintage quantity and quality from previous winter conditions.
Keywords
california, warming, wine
Rights
© 2001 Inter-Research
Recommended Citation
Nemani, R., M. White, D. Cayan, G. Jones, S. Running, J. Coughlan, and D. Peterson (2001), Asymmetric warming over coastal California and its impact on the premium wine industry, Climate Research, 19, 25-34.