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Abstract
For some years, studies about vine and climate have shown the close link between climate
and vine (Chuine, 2004). Jones et al. (2005) showed that climate warming has already begun
to cause precocity in the phenological stages of vine. Precocity in the vineyards of Burgundy
was also showed (Chabin et al., 2007). Consequently, it is really important to investigate
climate-vine relationships in order to know how vineyards are going to react to global
warming. We have already underlined some important months for maturity (Bonnefoy, 2007).
However, it is necessary to use temporal downscaling in order to understand when climatic
parameters have the main impact during each month. In this study some correlations between
phenological data and climatological data (1973-2006) for each pentad (5 days period) are
calculated. Phenological data comes from Beaune (BIVB) and climatological data from
Savigny-Lès-Beaune close to the “Côte de Beaune”.
Then, we use the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model to investigate climate-
vine relationships in Burgundy. This model is a Regional Circulation Model which allows
spatial downscaling with a resolution of 9 km in our study. Validation of the model is
completed, specifically during the 2003 growing season and during the important pentads.
Such regional simulations are necessary to understand future climate because summers like in
2003 will be more frequent in the next decades (IPCC, 2007).
Validations are obtained by confrontation between temperatures observed and simulated.
Observed data used for the validation is issued from 47 weather stations in Burgundy (Meteo
France). Results show that WRF is able to well reproduced the spatial pattern of maximum
temperatures over Burgundy. However, we observe some biases with underestimations or
overestimations of temperatures.
The model seems better in order to reproduce degree days, that is a strong indicator for
phenology of vineyards. We can obtain some maps of degree days in Burgundy for important
events (flowering, maturity). These promising results prompt us to continue this kind of
simulations in order to evaluate the impacts of Global Change on vineyards in the next
decades.
Keywords : climate warming, phenology, Regional Circulation Model, Burgundy, degree
days.