Australian Winemakers Turn to Science to Help Weather Climate Change

If the world can limit future greenhouse gas emissions, scientists are hopeful that adaptations can help a battered industry survive. View in browser

Image credits: Benjamin Plackett Australian Winemakers Turn to Science to Help Weather Climate Change If the world can limit future greenhouse gas emissions, scientists are hopeful that adaptations can help a battered industry survive. Benjamin Plackett, Contributor November 16, 2021                                                                                                                                                                                    (Inside Science) -- It's a hectic time of year among the wineries of Orange, New South Wales, which are nestled in the fertile foothills of a long-extinct volcano. The southern hemisphere's summer is about to start after a particularly wet spring, and vineyard owners are hustling to prep their crops before the precious grapes start to sprout. "It's a high-pressure time because as soon as you have vines with leaf growth and rainfall, stuff really starts to happen," said Ben Crossing, the general manager and owner of Angullong Wines. Workers are busy spraying fungicides to kill off any burgeoning infections; mowing the grass between vines to increase airflow; and inspecting the vines to make sure they're growing properly, all while tending to the important steps of turning last summer's harvest into wine. At 470 acres, Angullong is one of Orange's biggest vineyards, and the rolling hills, flourishing with vines, look exceptionally green. But growers like Crossing expect the heavy precipitation in September and October that fueled this year's lush growth will be rarer in the future because of climate change... Read more Copyright 2021 American Institute of Physics. Inside Science syndicates its articles, columns, blogs and videos to news organizations. To initiate syndication, or request permission to republish our content (on a one-time or continuing basis), please contact Inside Science at insidescience@aip.org. News organizations seeking permission to republish Inside Science content must fully credit Inside Science as the original source of the content, include the author byline, and republish the original, unaltered form (excluding content titles, headlines, or sub-headlines). The reprint format can be seen here. Copyright conditions and usage terms are subject to change at any time without consent or any type of prior notice. To unsubscribe from all future mailings from Inside Science please click here. To manage your email subscriptions please click here.

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