Utility of agroclimatic stations to characterize microclimate and climate change in the sherry area over the last 20 years

Department of Chemical Engineering and Food Technology, University of Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain

Abstract

In this work we analyze climatic data of temperatures, rainfall, winds and bioclimatic indexes for the last 20 years obtained from 8 agroclimatic stations distributed in the cultivation areas of the Sherry. The effects of climate change have been confirmed and maximum temperatures show a clear tendency to increase, which could lead to a considerable increase in maximum temperatures in the coming years. It has been observed that the average maximum temperatures during the summer in Jerez exceed 32 ºC, while in El Puerto and Sanlúcar they are appreciably cooler and are in the order of 30.5 ºC. It has also been verified a reduction of rainfall by almost 100 L/m² in recent years, and verifying that rainfall has a certain cyclical character. It has been tested that predominant winds in Jerez are from the east, in Sanlúcar they are from the west and El Puerto has an intermediate wind regime. Significant differences have been observed between climatic stations located at short distances, showing the convenience of having agroclimatic stations in the most important vineyard areas and in the most suitable areas of the winery districts of the cities to adequately characterize their microclimate in relation to the wine industry.