Die Agrarmeteorologie Rheinland-Pfalz stellt sich dem Klimawandel – mit Wetterdaten seit 1946

The agricultural meteorology station in Oppenheim recorded weather data since 1946 in this grapevine growing climate in the Southwest of Germany with an annual average of 10.4°C. This data analysis showed a 0.5°C increase in annual temperature over the last??60 years – similar to the 0.8°C averaged over all of Rheinland-Pfalz, but less than the 1.4°C in cooler fruit growing regions in Germany like Meckenheim and Jork. Global climate change increased of the probability of both warm springs and warm winters in Rheinland-Pfalz. Increases in monthly precipitation were observed in March, October and December, while annual precipitation remained unchanged over the??60 years of records. Yield reductions can be expected in Rheinland-Pfalz due to hot temperatures and water shortage as well as weather extremes like hail storms, heavy downpours, sunburn and gales. Overall, the new tasks of the agricultural meteorology now include sensors for UV-A-, UV-B-radiation and soil moisture, integration into disease (e.g. codling moth) and fungal forecast (e.g. apple scab) and water balances for irrigation scheduling.